I Want Tomorrow
by brukleflesche
Summary: [AU] Inuyasha and Kagome with Shippou, of course go on a journey. Will they find happiness together? Or will the dark, mysterious forces that underlie their expedition divide them for all eternity?
1. To Begin Anew

**Disclaimer:** I do not claim ownership of _Inuyasha: Sengoku o-Togi Zoushi_. I am borrowing it for entertainment purposes only. No money is being made from the writing or reading of this story. Only original characters and situations belong to me.

**I Want Tomorrow**

©2001-2002 by Kei

**I – To Begin Anew**

          He gazed at his reflection slightly distorted by the dirt marring the mirror's surface. Amber eyes, dull now when the sun had once shone through them; long, silvery-white hair that fell to his waist, tangled and unclean after about a month of not being allowed to wash it; a gaunt face, the edges of his facial bones defined and his usually tan skin sallow from not having eaten in almost as long as he hadn't bathed. He felt so detached from who he knew he really was.

          He felt like nothing.

          Today he could take a bath, so he stripped out of his white robe and climbed into the prepared tub nearby full of water that still steamed. He barely felt the intense heat and didn't care if he splashed the water all over the floor as he scrubbed himself clean of all the dirt and grime his body had collected over the past four weeks. He was washing himself clean of _her_.

          Of Kikyou.

          He hated himself now for ever thinking he loved her and that she returned the feelings. A woman like her wasn't capable of love. She thought of men as playthings without hearts or emotions that were put on the earth to do nothing more than serve her and let her throw them away like broken toys after she used them for her own sick pleasure.

          'I was such a fool!' he berated himself mentally, standing up in the tub and wringing out his long, shiny, wet locks. Then he stepped out of the porcelain basin and shook off like the half-dog he was.

          "But after today, Inuyasha will not be your fool any longer, Kikyou," he vowed grimly, reaching for his robe and wrapping it around himself. He exited the washroom and walked down the cold stone corridor to his quarters. Once there, he rifled through his dresser drawers until he found the article of clothing he was looking for: his red kimono spun from the fur of a fire rat. He hadn't worn it since the first day he had come to Kikyou's dark palace, back when he was more naïve and less hardened by Kikyou's warped world.

          When he met Kikyou for the first time, he was vacationing with his mother outside the Western Lands. The young priestess had seemed so gentle and caring, and reminded Inuyasha of his mother, actually. Maybe that was what had attracted him to her in the first place. He had always admired his mother's sweetness and kindness and had hoped to have a marriage as loving as his parents', which would mean finding a lady like his mom, and Kikyou seemed to fit the mold.

          How wrong he was.

          Kikyou invited Inuyasha for a visit to her palace, and Inuyasha's mother consented. So, smiling and content, the half-demon had gone with Kikyou, expecting a white castle with green, grassy meadows surrounding it and full of happy, smiling people. What he got when he arrived was the exact opposite.

          Kikyou's so-called palace was the dark ruins of what had perhaps been a sparkling castle at one time, and it sat in a black forest of eerie noises and hardly any sunlight. Her servants were wraiths she had subdued with her powers, and Inuyasha swore that his sensitive hearing picked up melancholic cries down the hallways, begging to be freed from this prison. He didn't know that his voice would one day join these.

          Inuyasha's first day at Kikyou's palace had been 3 years ago, and he hadn't been able to leave since. But today he was going to. He was fed up with the façade of Kikyou and had just decided to escape. He had never tried before, but figured that nobody would be strong enough to stop him if he was caught.

          He slipped into the scarlet kimono and then trotted over to the one window in his room. He flung the shutters open and hopped agilely onto the ledge. A tall, gnarled old tree reached up its bony arms to scrape the overcast sky to his right, and he jumped for it, landing lightly. He shrugged at how simple this was and leapt to the next tree and then the one after that. It wasn't long before he had put many kilometers between himself and Kikyou's castle of despair by way of tree-hopping.

          'I don't know if I can go home just yet,' he thought miserably, images of his parents in his head. He could picture his mother crying over her lost only child and his father wrapping his strong arms around the slight woman and comforting her. Inuyasha couldn't help wondering if they hated him, if they thought he had abandoned them when he had really been strangely controlled by Kikyou's mysterious powers. But that had been when he was her main plaything. Since then she had found new toys and he had fallen to the bottom of the toy box, and she was unknowingly loosening her hold on him.

          'I'll wait for a little while, build up my strength,' he decided, ears perking when he heard the sounds of laughter coming from nearby. And the air carried on it a gentle scent, an aroma that soothed him while it stimulated him. He wanted to find out whence it came, so he stealthily ventured closer, reminding himself how conspicuous a color red was in a stark green forest in summertime.

          Gazing down, he could see a young woman with long, wavy black hair and garbed in red and white robes befitting of a shrine priestess. Inuyasha's sharp sense of smell told him that she was the one emanating the enticing scent. But he felt that he should observe her longer before jumping down there unannounced and startling her.

          She laughed, and the sound caressed his ears. It was a joyful, sincere laugh that clearly displayed all her blissful emotions at that moment in time. Inuyasha found himself wishing she would laugh like that with him.

          What were these ridiculous feelings welling up inside him? He didn't want to trust another soul after his horrid experience with Kikyou, and here he was, not even knowing this woman or having ever caught sight of her face, but willing to do anything simply to win a smile he'd never seen.

          He watched silently a while longer, realizing that the girl was playing some sort of game with unseen companions. While she was poking around a bush on her left, some shrubs growing up near the sturdy wooden shrine building rustled and a small creature with a tousled mop of short, tawny hair poked its head up. Inspecting the childlike being, Inuyasha came to the conclusion that this was a _kitsune cub._

          Said cub launched itself at the unsuspecting _miko, releasing a war cry as it soared through the air. She whirled around as it came flying at her and opened her arms wide. The little fox thudded softly to her chest and she enfolded it, both of them laughing all the while._

          "That's no fair!" a pouting child's voice complained as it emerged from the forest, and Inuyasha glanced down to see a small boy with ebony hair and dark eyes accompanied by a girl of similar coloring. Each of them carried a basket filled with various herbs and plants. "You and Shippô get to play while we have to work!" the boy continued.

          "Sôta, Shippô-chan is our guest, so he doesn't have to work, and I already did my chores this morning. Would you care to debate about it in front of Grandpa and Mama?" Kagome answered, freeing Shippô, the _kitsune cub, from her embrace and turning around to face Sôta. Shippô took up residence on Kagome's shoulder right away, playing absently with strands of her thick hair._

          Inuyasha drew in his breath sharply. That girl was the spitting image of Kikyou! And yet…she was so different. Her eyes were a soft grey-blue, not the steely, stormy zinc of Kikyou's, and they were wider, more accepting, more innocent. Her face carried more of a childish appearance than Kikyou's did; it was less calculating, and from what Inuyasha had observed, their personalities were complete opposites.

          "Kagome?" a voice piped up, soft and unobtrusive.

          "Yes, little sister?" Kagome chirped in reply, approaching the little girl with wide eyes similar to hers, and hair tied loosely back by a white bow.

          The smaller female made a motion with her finger that indicated she wanted to whisper something to her older sister. Kagome bent over to listen and Shippô unburdened her shoulder. He and Sôta took the two baskets of herbs inside while the little sister told her secret to Kagome.

          Inuyasha inwardly questioned as to what the brat had to be so damn secretive about. He was so caught up in doing this that he didn't notice the pair of blue-grey eyes trained on him, studying him in the shadows of the lush leaves of the tree he was perched in.

          "Thank for you for telling me. Now go on inside, Kaede," he vaguely heard Kagome tell her younger sibling. Then he looked back down, startled to meet gazes with the raven-haired priestess.

          "It's not very proper to spy on people, tree-borne dog boy," she addressed him in a slightly scolding manner, but her pink lips were upturned a bit, and he knew she wasn't really angry. He figured that she didn't sense any bad vibes from him, which he was glad for.

          "Won't you come down, please?" she requested. "You look like you could use some food, and I'd be happy to make you some."

          Inuyasha bounded out of the tree and landed right beside her, but she didn't flinch at the impact or his proximity. He eyed her warily, because he knew what a good actress Kikyou had been. He circled Kagome, sniffing her and privately enjoying the heavenly aroma she radiated. But he didn't say a word to her.

          Finally, after several moments of this scrutinizing, he stood back, crossed his arms over his chest, and nodded. Kagome took this as a positive answer to her invitation, and she led the way into the house.


	2. The Pain Within

**Disclaimer:** I do not claim ownership of _Inuyasha: Sengoku o-Togi Zoushi_. I am borrowing it for entertainment purposes only. No money is being made from the writing or reading of this story. Only original characters and situations belong to me.

**I Want Tomorrow**

©2001-2002 by Kei

**II – The Pain Within**

          Kagome smiled warmly at her visitor as she set down the bowl of ramen noodles in front of him, but soon frowned when he simply gazed at her indifferently and began eating without so much as a word of thanks. She didn't know what to make of the dog-eared visitor. Speaking of ears…

          'No, I really shouldn't do that,' Kagome thought, retracting the hands she had slowly been extending to touch the fuzzy ears poking up from either side of his white-haired head. It would be quite inappropriate and would most likely annoy him, so Kagome decided against it. For now. Maybe one day she would ask for his permission very politely and it would be given to her. Well, that's what she hoped, anyway. He didn't seem to be the type who went through life whimsically; in fact, his face carried a hardened expression, as though he had been through a war and been traumatized by the horrors of life and death.

          'Wait, no, not a war. Something just…disillusioned him,' she realized, letting thin vines of her muted powers creep across the wooden floor and up the legs of the dog demon's chair until they reached his chest. They wound about his head, throat, and upper chest, searching for any bit of loose knowledge floating through his aura. If he were untrained in how to control his emotions and demonic powers, she would be able to tell everything about him. However, it was obvious that someone had taken the pains of teaching him to ward off any invaders, because just as the tendrils started glowing green they shattered abruptly. Though the dog boy's face revealed nothing of what he was feeling, Kagome knew he had sensed her questing powers and broken them.

          Once more studying his stony, expressionless mask of a face, Kagome almost pitied him; he looked so young! Had he been human, he probably would have been just around her age of sixteen. What person or experience had caused him to become so closed and distrusting? He hadn't even spoken to her yet, and she knew that he was examining her to make sure if she should know anything about him, if she was trustworthy.

          'I'm trustworthy!' her mind cried. 'At least, I think I am. If anyone's divulged a secret to me, I've always kept it to myself. If you've been hurt, you can tell me! I'll make the pain go away, I promise!'

          Suddenly, the demon raised his head and turned it sharply to her, staring her right in the eye, piercing the fabric of her soul with those morning star eyes. Kagome wondered if the emotions she had been feeling were strong enough to be sent out so he felt them.

          Her worries were forgotten when he shoved his empty noodle bowl away from him, indicating that he was finished. She took the dish from him and placed it in a tub of water where all the dirty dishes and utensils were placed to be washed by Kagome or her mother every morning.

          Unsure of what to do or say next, Kagome said, "Um, you're welcome to stay here as long as you like. I'm sure my family won't mind. Uh, my name's Kagome. I guess you'll tell me yours when you're ready, huh? You don't seem like much of a talker. That's okay. Sometimes words aren't required."

          "Hey, Kagome!" a voice called from outside, and Kagome peered through a window and smiled, waving at whoever had yelled. She turned back to her guest and told him, "Sôta wants me to come out and play. His and Kaede's chores are all done, and Mama and Grandpa have said they're allowed some free time. Would you like to play with us?"

          Wordlessly, he stood up from his seat and followed her out. Kagome's younger siblings and Shippô, the _kitsune cub, eagerly greeted them. Sôta and Kaede held back their questions about Kagome's companion for later, but Shippô, cute and tactless, leaped right in and demanded to know the demon's identity. "Who's this?" he inquired, hopping effortlessly onto Kagome's slim shoulder and leaning over towards the doglike boy to sniff him._

          "Shippô-chan, don't be so rude," Kagome reprimanded, setting him on the ground. "This is a friend of mine who will be staying with us indefinitely. We're all going to be nice to him, understand?" She was eyeing Shippô in particular when she made that statement. "He hasn't told me his name yet, and it's up to him to decide when to do so. Don't badger him about it, and if you want to speak with him, don't just yell out 'YOU!' or something like that. Politely get his attention and then talk. Is that clear?"

          "As crystal, Kagome," Kaede smiled, and Kagome ruffled her little sister's dark hair affectionately.

          "So, what game are we going t—?" the eldest child began to ask, but stopped abruptly when a twig breaking in the nearby woods caught her attention. She noticed her dog friend's eyes narrow as his nose twitched, and then his face contorted into a look of fury. He suddenly reached his arm out and wrapped it tightly and securely around her slender waist. She shrieked as he bounded easily onto the roof of the house.

          "You three, get Grandpa and Mama and go to our hiding spot!" she shouted down to her charges. "You wait there and don't return until I come to get you!"

          Obediently following her orders, the trio darted off around the house and into the woods flowing in the opposite direction. Soon after they had vanished, a demon burst through the dense trees and sniffed around in the place Kagome had just been standing a moment before. She muffled her cries with her hand when she caught sight of the beast, a tall, muscular creature with tough crimson skin, large black eyes, and deadly claws extending from its long fingers. Bloody fangs hung out from behind its black upper lip, and Kagome really didn't want to know where the blood had come from. She was praying for her loved ones' safety and also vaguely wondering in the back of her mind what the dog demon's connection to this new demon was.

          She looked in surprise at the demon that had been holding her when he gently set her down on the rooftop. Then he jumped back down to the ground and threw himself hard at the other, larger demon, knocking it down. It grabbed her new friend and threw him off, and he collided hard with a tree, but he was right back up again, barely winded. Kagome watched the events with fear for the nameless dog boy; she didn't want him to get hurt!

          The two demons tussled, punching back and forth, neither winning nor losing. Then it seemed that the fight was turned in the dog demon's favor when he growled "Soul Shattering Iron Claw!" and swiped his claws at the opposing demon. Steely blades whipped through the air and sliced deeply into the chest of the crimson monster; Kagome inwardly cheered for her friend. But her joy was overturned into deep horror when the red beast looked unaffected and grabbed the dog demon by his neck, squeezing so as to crush it and kill him.

          'I have to help him!' Kagome thought. 'Papa would never forgive me if I didn't at least try.'

          With the thought of her deceased father, Hirofumi, in her mind, Kagome shoved her foot through the thatch roof of the house. She knew she could get a friend of hers, a local village boy named Hojo, to fix it later. All that mattered now was retrieving her bow and arrows from inside.

          She dropped lightly to the floor and quickly sought out her weapons, which she found laying beside her bed pallet. She slung the quiver over one shoulder and across her back and pulled out one arrow, admiring briefly the way the sharp head gleamed in the noonday sun. She shook her head to clear it and ran outside, clutching the bow and arrow tightly.

          The demonic dog was struggling valiantly against the scarlet demon's choking grip, but not succeeding at all. Kagome held the arrow tightly in one hand and stared at it, sending a powerful spell into it that would not only help it fly straight and true, but to destroy the demon as well. She just had to be extremely careful of her aim; if she hit her friend, he was done for, though if she didn't hit the enemy he was dead anyway.

          She expertly placed the arrow in the bow and drew the string back, eyes glaring at her target. As Kagome exhaled she released the arrow, and her aim proved true. It struck the evil beast right in its chest, through the heart. It fell over and its body disintegrated, in turn loosing the dog demon from its grasp. He thudded to the soil hard, and Kagome immediately ran over to him, discarding her bow and quiver. She knelt beside him and cradled him in her arms.

          "Will you be able to stand?" she inquired when he opened his eyes that actually looked…grateful.

          Wordlessly, he rose from her hold and brushed himself off, then offered down a hand to help her up. She thanked him and stood up, reaching out to lightly touch his throat to examine it for more serious wounding than bruises. But he caught her hand in his and gave her a little half-smile.

          "My name is Inuyasha," he spoke at last. His voice was far gentler than his rather rugged appearance, and Kagome enjoyed the tones playing on her ears.

          "Inuyasha," she repeated, smiling happily, overjoyed that he trusted her enough to tell her his name. Though they had only been acquainted for several hours, Kagome wanted him to stay forever with her, holding her hand this way.

          "Thank you," he said. "You are so different from her," he murmured, brushing his hand across her flushing cheek.

          "Who?" Kagome asked curiously, unable to help herself. She reminded him of some other woman he had used to know?

          His face darkened at her question, at simply the thought of this woman. Kagome knew then that this mystery lady was the cause of Inuyasha's barrier he had built up around himself.

          "O-oh," she managed to stutter out. "I didn't mean to dredge up painful memories, Inuyasha. Forgive me, won't you? Please, I am very sorry."

          Inuyasha's head jerked up at her apology. Never had anyone ever been so profusely contrite toward him before. In all his life, if someone had hurt him in some way, he had never been given any apologies. Kagome was different not only from the monstrous Kikyou; she was different from any other being Inuyasha had ever met. Not even his lovely mother could claim to be as kind and tender as this human girl.

          "Think nothing of it," he told her and was rewarded with another one of those gorgeous smiles. His eyes reflected her happiness; the desire he'd had for her to give him one of those smiles had been fulfilled.

          "Now, are you absolutely certain that you're all right?" Kagome questioned, desperately in need of reassurance. Inuyasha could feel the worry and concern rolling off her in soothing green waves.

          "I'm a _hanyou, Kagome, my body heals faster than that of a human," he said, giving her hand a comforting squeeze._

          "Okay, but if there's anything you need, anything at all, you let me know," she instructed him, poking him lightly in the chest.

          "Actually, I need something right now," he admitted, fighting back a blush at how that sounded. "I'm going to return to my home, and I need you to go with me."


	3. Shards of Dreams

**Disclaimer:** I do not claim ownership of _Inuyasha: Sengoku o-Togi Zoushi_. I am borrowing it for entertainment purposes only. No money is being made from the writing or reading of this story. Only original characters and situations belong to me.

**I Want Tomorrow**

©2001-2002 by Kei

**III – Shards of Dreams**

          "KAGOMEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" a small voice screamed, and Kagome immediately jumped around and ran out the front door of the house. She had been in her room packing her few belongings in order to make the journey with Inuyasha to return to his home.

          "Shippô-chan?" Kagome exclaimed when the _kitsune burst out of the woods, wailing his heart out. His small _yukata_ was torn and bloodstained, Kagome noted in horror._

          He sobbed her name out again and she fell to her knees in time for him to leap into her arms and clutch the folds of her white kimono top tightly. She hugged him close, very worried. The stench of the blood on him curled up and thrashed at her nose, twisting her stomach.

          "Mama…Papa…!" Shippô wept incoherently, and a horrifying thought entered Kagome's head: What if the blood was that of Shippô's parents?

          Kagome knew Yuuya and Miki well because they dwelled in the forest and because Shippô had formed a friendship with the Higurashi children. Kagome had thought of the two _kitsune as family. They were warm and friendly, and Shippô loved them dearly._

          "WHERE IS THAT LITTLE FOX-BRAT?" a voice roared from the trees, and Kagome's head jerked up. She squeezed Shippô just a bit tighter to her chest and hurriedly got to her feet. Two _youkai_ were coming, and they both had the smell of _kitsune blood on them. Obviously they had committed some terrible, bloody act upon Shippô's parents and were searching him out to finish the job._

          What Kagome couldn't understand was why someone would want to hurt the gentle _kitsune family. They were all loving and friendly and didn't have any enemies. That Kagome was aware of, anyway, which made her nervous._

          Kagome's ears were bombarded with the cries of pain from the trees that the two approaching demons were hurting as they trekked violently through the woods. Flowers and undergrowth wept. And as the cries grew louder, Kagome knew the _youkai_ pair was coming ever closer, looking to find and do something awful to Shippô.

          But they would have to go through Kagome first.

          Inuyasha was lounging in the Go-Shinboku, the majestic sacred tree that grew tall and strong a distance from the shrine. He was halfway into a deep, dreamless slumber when he heard a high-pitched scream and then picked up the pungent odor of blood. It was that _kitsune cub that adored Kagome, Shippô. And two blood-drenched _youkai_ were stalking him._

          'Kagome's in danger!' Inuyasha thought, leaping from the tree and dashing off toward the shrine.

          When he arrived, he saw a humanoid demon and an overlarge toad monster staring down Kagome, who held the trembling _kitsune cub in her arms. He could see her grim expression and her unwavering stance, and could sense that, though she was intensely fearful of these two, her sisterly/maternal instinct overrode any negative feelings and she only wanted to protect Shippô._

          "Hand over the brat!" ordered the human-looking _youkai_.

          "Never!" Kagome answered defiantly.

          "Then we will take him by force," the toad said.

          "Such a shame to sacrifice your lovely face for that stupid piece of—"

          "If you're going to fight me, why don't you shut up and do so?" Kagome dared them, and they took her up on it.

          The human _youkai_ carried a long staff with a sharp, jagged end that resembled a lightning bolt, and he thrust it at Kagome, but she deftly jumped aside where the toad creature greeted her. He opened his mouth and breathed out a wild conflagration that looked like it had engulfed Kagome and Shippô. But when the flames dissipated, Kagome still stood, surrounded by a powerful shield.

          "What did you do to this child's parents and why?" she demanded venomously, glaring daggers at them.

          "Why, we killed them, of course," the humanoid answered simply. "Our reasons are business. You see, _kitsune pelts are very valuable on the human market in Edo."_

          Kagome emitted a horrified gasp. They had killed Yuuya and Miki for their pelts! And now they wanted Shippô's! Rage coursed through Kagome's veins; she couldn't believe someone could be that evil. The impossibility of the reality filled her with a fury unmatched.

          Glittering green vines of power leaked out of her body and snaked faster than an eye blink over to the two _youkai_. They turned into dancing sabers, several of which stabbed the toad demon straight through his middle, and the rest of them sliced the humanoid demon in half.

          "K-K-Kagome? Are they gone now?" Shippô peeped, raising his head from where it had been buried on her collarbone and gazing at her with large eyes.

          "Yes, they are," she replied sadly, lifting a hand and pressing his head back down. "Don't look, Shippô-chan. Don't look."

          Then she carried him inside the house and placed him on her sleeping pallet, covering him with thick blankets. He soon fell asleep and Kagome exited once more to dispose of the bodies.

          "Are you going to burn them or what?" Inuyasha inquired, showing himself from around the corner of the house.

          "They do not deserve the dignity of being burned," Kagome said softly, picking up her bow and quiver from where she had placed them earlier, beneath a bush growing up at the side of the house. She drew out one arrow, loaded the bow, and fired the arrow. It pierced the toad's corpse, which immediately exploded and disintegrated. Kagome repeated the action with the humanoid _youkai_.

          Inuyasha had trouble believing his own eyes. He had never heard of a _miko with as much power as Kagome was demonstrating. He knew in his heart that Kikyou could never measure up to this strength. Kagome would make a good traveling companion._

          Kagome finished packing the next day, and she divested herself of her traditional _miko robes for something a little more appropriate for traveling. She wore a pair of boy's trousers that her friend Hojo had allowed her to have, and a short kimono that only went down to mid-thigh. She bound her hair up in a ponytail and wore her bow and quiver across her shoulder and chest. On her feet was a pair of durable, comfortable sandals._

          Now they had all gathered in front of the house to say their good-byes.

          "Mother, Grandpa, my sincerest thanks to you for allowing me to make this journey," Kagome stated formally, bowing to her beloved guardians.

          "My darling child!" Saeko, her mother, wailed, sweeping Kagome into her embrace and crying openly. "Try to communicate often, and be safe!"

          "I will, Mama," Kagome promised, hugging her mother tightly and kissing her.

          "Kagome, remember to be a good girl and use those seals I gave you at every house you sleep at overnight," Grandpa told her, giving her a quick hug. Kagome smiled and nodded, knowing that the seals would do nothing. Kagome had received all of her powers from her father.

          "Kagome!" Sôta cried, desperately hugging his older sister. They had a sort of playful rivalry, but at times like this it all disappeared and he was just a little boy in need of his sister's confidence and approval.

          "You're the man here now, Sôta, so you have to take care of everyone. Watch over Kaede, and help Mother and Grandpa," Kagome told her seriously, but then she softened. "I know you can do it. Goodbye."

          Little Kaede was standing quietly by, but she jumped into Kagome's arms right away when her big sister moved in front of her. Kaede was of few words, but her actions usually spoke for her. Right now she was tightly hugging Kagome and kissing her cheeks repeatedly.

          "We'll miss you so much, Kagome," Saeko said. "Your father will be watching over you."

          "I know, Mother," Kagome smiled.

          "INUYASHA!" Saeko bellowed, and he blanched. "You take good care of my daughter, or you will come to very bad ends."

          Inuyasha didn't doubt the truth of that statement.

          "I'll take care of her, Aunt Saeko!" Shippô proclaimed, and Saeko blew him a kiss.

          "Farewell, family," Kagome said with finality, making sure Shippô was planted securely on her shoulder. Then she reached out, grasped Inuyasha's hand with hers, nodded at him, and they walked away from the Higurashi shrine.

          As they passed the Go-Shinboku, Kagome graciously requested of the gods and her father to watch over them all and protect them from anyone who wanted to bring harm to them.

          Truthfully, she hoped that no such creatures would pursue them, but knew that Inuyasha being a _hanyou, Shippô being a __kitsune, and herself being a __miko, this was a hollow wish._

          "Kagome, why did you agree to come with me?" Inuyasha inquired, his gaze on their clasped hands.

          "Because you said you needed me to," she said. "Not that you wanted me to, but needed me to, and I believe you."

          "But aren't priestesses supposed to be enemies with all _youkai_, or _hanyou?" he asked._

          "There was a time when I believed that. When I was a little girl, I witnessed my father's brutal murder at the hands of a demon. And all the love I had for my father fueled my hatred of _youkai_. I couldn't let go of the fact that he had been killed protecting his family from a disgusting creature like that. I wanted to kill every _youkai_ I ever saw after that, but I was young and foolish, not to mention weak.

          "I was miserable, and could only focus on my hate. My powers were darkening and becoming what I hated in _youkai, and I didn't even know it. But then, one day, I was walking through the forest, and I was trying to cross a stream, but I slipped on some moss on a rock and fell in, hitting my head against a stone as I fell. I would have drowned, but someone saved me."_

          "My mom!" Shippô exclaimed, and without tears. Kagome had comforted him the day before by saying that, though he would always miss his parents, they were watching over him, and if he thought of them happily and as he remembered them, then it wouldn't hurt so much.

          "Yes, Miki found the unconscious drowning little Kagome in the stream and rescued me," Kagome continued, ruffling the fur atop Shippô's head with her free hand. "She took me into their home, even though she knew I was a small _miko, and bandaged my wounds and expelled the water I had inhaled. And she introduced me to her husband and their baby, and it was then that I realized how stupid I had been for the past few years. I had been poisoned against all demons because of that isolated incident with my father, but that __youkai was evil. The __kitsune, fox demons, were not evil and were in fact the kindest creatures I've ever known._

          "So now I always approach _youkai—or __hanyou—with an open mind. I cannot automatically assume that they're bad, because it is not always as such, and my actions could cause pain for others just as that __youkai caused to my family and those two did to Shippô._

          "I gave you a chance, Inuyasha, and you are not bad. I believe in you as a good creature, and no matter what you do I will continue to believe that you are good," she finished, smiling up at him.

          Inuyasha blushed.


	4. Bathed in Blood

**Disclaimer:** I do not claim ownership of _Inuyasha: Sengoku o-Togi Zoushi_. I am borrowing it for entertainment purposes only. No money is being made from the writing or reading of this story. Only original characters and situations belong to me.

**I Want Tomorrow**

©2001-2002 by Kei

**IV – Bathed in Blood**

          Stars danced their way across the vault of heaven, lighting up the clear midnight sky. Several wisps of clouds drifted by, their hands of mist branching out and pulling them across. A gentle breeze fluttered through the trees on gusty wings, sweeping by Kagome's face and lightly caressing her cheeks. Her eyes moved and landed on Shippô slumbering deeply in her lap, curled into a tiny ball of cinnamon fur. Then she looked at Inuyasha sitting up against a tree for support, his head turned to the side as he gazed out into the vast scope of night. She couldn't help but consider what a nice profile he had.

          It wasn't the first time she'd noticed his attractiveness. Throughout the first day of their journey, she had continually found herself staring at him and admiring the easiness of his visage on her eyes. He was quite a pleasant sight, especially his amber eyes. They held no malice, only a carefully hidden hurt that could not be concealed from Kagome.

          The dying flames of the fire they'd built together flickered in the wind and sent shadows darting back and forth across the setting. Kagome was reminded of a time when her father had made a comparison of each life to a candle flame. He said that every life began with a single spark until it grew into a flame, but like that flame could burn, it could very easily be blown out. Even something as seemingly harmless as the wind could douse the delicate fire. Hirofumi told his daughter that, just like fire was precious, so was life. Now Kagome wondered if he had known that the hurricane wind of a demon would extinguish his flame so soon.

          It was natural for Kagome to want revenge, but she had to learn to let go. Her mother had cried for weeks after Hirofumi's murder, but never once had her tears been of anger. Saeko had never shown an intense desire to lash out at any _youkai that crossed her path in return for the vicious killing of her beloved husband. She still had her small twin babies to take care of, plus her oldest daughter Kagome and her aging father-in-law. Even when she sang lullabies to help her children fall asleep, she cried, but she continued with her life until all the tears were gone. Kagome wondered if Saeko was crying for her, too, because she had never cried over her father's death. Though she had witnessed the gruesome slaying with her own innocent young eyes, never had tears fallen from those eyes._

          Then Kagome's thoughts turned to her Grandpa. She remembered seeing his eyes shining and their color wavering back and forth across the white just moments before he turned around and lifted a hand to cover his face as his back shook. At the time, the little priestess-in-training hadn't understood his actions, but years later, upon examining the memories, she realized that he had been crying. She could recall tugging on his pants leg and asking him what the matter was. He very quickly dried his eyes and turned around to her, smiling his goofy Grandpa smile that she loved. Then he had picked her up in thin, wrinkled arms that belied his strength and hugged her close before starting to tickle her relentlessly. He had always doted on her and filled her head with stories about her ancestors and many, many more of her father's youth. She knew now that though those stories had been meant partially for her enjoyment, they had also been a major part of the healing process for Grandpa. By spinning the tales of his son for his granddaughter, he was able to embrace everything that Hirofumi had been and get through his mourning with relatively little trouble.

          When Kagome emerged from her reverie, she felt eyes upon her. She glanced up and locked gazes with Inuyasha. She felt heat rising to her cheeks and immediately tried to quell it, though she was pretty certain it had not worked. She gave him a small smile and said, "I think we should both get some sleep, Inuyasha. I'll put out the fire. Goodnight."

          "Goodnight, Kagome," he replied, settling into his spot a little more and closing his eyes. Kagome nodded, quenched the fire with a simple look, and carefully situated herself into a comfortable position without disturbing Shippô.

          Sunlight breaking through the trees' leaves hit Kagome's eyelids with a vengeance and blinded her when she opened her eyes. She found her lap devoid of any weight and she looked around frantically for Shippô under the hot gaze of the morning sun. She was slightly confused by the changes in scenery. When they had stopped in this thicket the previous evening, it was not a grove of sakura trees and soft blades of summer grass. It was a rather rocky landscape, with trees of lush green leaves, but certainly no cherry blossoms. Although, it had been growing dark, so maybe her eyes had not been adjusted to the lower light and had not absorbed the scenery correctly.

          "Shippô-chan!" she called, feeling more than a little puzzled by the fact that her mouth was still forming the cub's name, though the cry had already been released. She lifted her hands up to cup them around her mouth and magnify the shout, and her arms felt like two waterlogged extensions; her hands were heavy, and again her mouth did not move accurately when she yelled for Shippô.

          Kagome looked for Inuyasha at the tree he'd been sleeping against, but he was not there. She would have called for him, but knew it would be as useless as calling for Shippô had proven to be. She was completely alone, and she didn't like it one bit.

          "Kagome!" a familiar voice beckoned, and she turned around, entirely in slow motion. She couldn't understand the incredibly sluggish movements of her body.

          When she finally completed the turn, she saw nobody there. The only thing before her was a full-length mirror, reflecting glass set in a beautiful gold frame. Two phoenixes flew at each other on the top, and their burning feathers composed the rest of it. Kagome looked at herself, wondering how the mirror had gotten to be there.

          All of a sudden, her reflection's eyes narrowed and the mirror girl smiled evilly. She raised her hand from behind her, revealing a honed dagger that glinted in the bright sunlight. In her other arm she held a limp, unconscious Inuyasha. His head hung back over her forearm, leaving his neck utterly vulnerable. Kagome gasped in horror when she realized what the other Kagome was going to do.

          The sharpened blade cut down and slashed across Inuyasha's throat. Blood cascaded plentifully from the _hanyou's neck until his bare skin was drenched in the same color as his kimono. Tears suspended in Kagome's eyes now came spilling out as her friend's blood had done, quickly and endlessly. She screamed his name and once again her lips were delayed in forming the syllables, and her tongue sat lethargically in the oral cavity like a pillow._

          _"NOOOOOOOOOO! INUYASHAAAAAAAAA!"_

          And even though she was screaming and wailing beyond breathlessness, she could hear someone else crying in the distance. A child was crying, and someone was calling her. That voice was telling her something…she needed something…needed to—

          "WAKE UP, KAGOME!" Inuyasha bellowed, shaking her roughly by the shoulders in another attempt to wake the girl so deeply caught in some horrible nightmare. Her screams of terror had jolted both Inuyasha and Shippô from their sleep, and Kagome's shouts and sobs had made Shippô start crying out of fear for her. Inuyasha had immediately set about pulling Kagome from her terrible dreamscape.

          Her eyes shot open, wide, tearful, and unseeing. She didn't register his presence there at all and looked right through him. She screamed his name again and thrust her arms out as if to reach him, and when she contacted his chest, she finally, really woke up. She blinked and swallowed hard, staring into Inuyasha's eyes. Her hands, still out and touching his chest, clutched his kimono tightly as she started sobbing wretchedly. Inuyasha lowered himself to his knees beside her and his hands slid from her shoulders to her back as he took her in a comforting embrace. He had never seen her so emotional; she was usually affable and glad or serious and calm, never so uncontrolled and weepy.

          "Shippô-chan!" she exclaimed in a whisper, remembering her dear little _kitsune friend. She loosened one of her hands from Inuyasha's kimono and reached it out for the small fox demon. He accepted the invitation right away and snuggled up against her leg, sniffling and wiping his eyes on the cotton cloth of her pants. She wrapped her free arm around him and sighed._

          "I'm so sorry, Inuyasha," she murmured into the crook of his neck. "I…it was such a horrible dream. I saw myself…" Her voice dropped away into nothingness, for she had no desire to continue and relive the horrors she had seen.

          "It's okay, Kagome, you don't have to tell me," he soothed, rubbing her tense back before at last releasing her from the embrace and sitting back on his haunches to look at her.

          "Are you gonna be all right, Kagome?" Shippô piped up, gazing at Kagome with large, expectant eyes.

          She smiled weakly and said, "Yes, Shippô-chan, I'll be all right eventually." She scrubbed her face furiously with the sleeves of her own kimono, drying her tears the best she could. She was supposed to be her friends' bodyguard, not a sniveling little girl! How could she have let a stupid dream get the better of her? And yet…it had seemed symbolic in a way, which unnerved Kagome. The lovely scenery clashing with the sheer brutality of the images in the mirror had not been something her mind just conjured up for no reason.

          "Well, let's pack up and get going, shall we?" she suggested, reverting back into her old self, the cheery priestess with the contagious smile. "I hope we find a river soon, or at least a stream, because I think we could all use a bath."

          Her traveling companions agreed with the suggestion, and the trio gathered their belongings and set off again. Inuyasha led the way, assuring the other two that he knew of a river not far from their current location. Kagome trusted in him completely and followed without a hint of hesitation; Shippô simply went where Kagome went.

          They arrived at the river as promised, and the lovely scenery surrounding it awed Kagome. The plant life all around was lush and verdant due to the natural irrigation of the clean, flowing waters cutting through the living emerald landscape. With a smile, she set her pack down and kicked off her sandals. Inuyasha had already chosen to lounge in the high boughs of a nearby tree and take a mid-morning snooze; Kagome knew the truth, though, that he was looking for an excuse to close his eyes and allow her privacy while bathing. He was sweeter than he liked to let on, but she would never say that to his face. Knowing him, he would be deeply insulted by the comment.

          With a light-hearted cry of glee, Shippô stripped in one swift movement and leapt into the river, totally immersing himself in the crystalline water. Kagome smiled to herself and opted to first kneel at the shore and wash her face. She dipped her cupped hands into the cool, clear liquid and brought some up, splashing it on her pink, sunbathed cheeks. When she returned her gaze to the river's surface, she saw in place of her reflection a burning yellow sun illuminating the crimson sky behind it as the golden orb sank behind the dark violet horizon. But why was she seeing the sunset before it was even noon? Then the sky began to expand and overtake the other colors, changing the water to blood. Kagome looked at the droplets sprinkling her hands and found that they, too, were blood.

          "Come on, Kagome!" Shippô beckoned to her, and she slowly lifted her head to look at him. She gasped in shock and horror when she saw the _kitsune child standing in waist-deep crimson, awash completely in blood._

          "Kagome, what's wrong?" Shippô inquired, wading over to her. Kagome could only gape at the blood-soaked cub. "I thought you liked taking baths with me. The water's not cold or anything, come on!"

          Kagome finally tore her wide gaze away from him and looked once more at her bloodstained hands. But…they were no longer bloody.

          "What?" she murmured, seeing that the crimson had receded from the water and Shippô was completely clean.

          "Oh, Shippô-chan, I'm sorry, I just got lost in thought," she lied apologetically. Then she removed her clothing and undergarments, sliding into the water after him. As she and Shippô played and washed, Kagome tossed a hurried glance up at Inuyasha, who appeared to be dozing easily.

          After Kagome and Shippô were washed, dried, and clothed, Inuyasha took his turn. When he jumped out of the tree and landed in front of Kagome, he eyed her strangely for a moment and then asked, "Kagome, why did I smell blood earlier?"


	5. Thin Line Between Reality and Illusion

**Disclaimer:** I do not claim ownership of _Inuyasha: Sengoku o-Togi Zoushi_. I am borrowing it for entertainment purposes only. No money is being made from the writing or reading of this story. Only original characters and situations belong to me.

**I Want Tomorrow**

©2001-2002 by Kei

**V – Thin Line Between Reality and Illusion**

          'He-he smelled the blood that I saw? Is that it?' Kagome wondered in awe, gazing up at Inuyasha with a dropped jaw. He smirked at her and gave her chin a light tap; her teeth clicked when they connected as her mouth closed.

          "I-I'll speak to you about it later, Inuyasha," she told him. Then she leaned over and whispered, "After Shippô-chan is asleep."

          "Later then," he agreed with a nod, stripping as he bounded towards the river. Kagome blushed and covered her eyes as she whirled quickly around for modesty's sake. She trundled over to the same tree Inuyasha had perched in during Kagome's bath, and she sat against the strong old base of the trunk, roots curling around her. She remained sitting there for quite some time, poised meditatively as invisible threads of her power trickled over the tree roots and absorbed serenity and wisdom from the tall, sage tree. Being in tune with nature greatly aided Kagome at times when she was under extreme duress as she was now due to the disturbing visions she had been experiencing. None she'd ever had before had been so clear, or so frightening. The elements she perceived with her senses had never been so pungent before, and never before had she been unable to shake off a symbolic or precognitive image. Perhaps that was what caused Kagome to be so afraid, the sheer power of the involuntary divination.

          Sorting through her thoughts carefully, siphoning pointless musings and trivial ponderings, Kagome came to a conclusion: 'The focal point of all this is—'

          "Come on, Kagome, let's move on," Inuyasha beckoned her loudly, derailing her train of thought. She nodded once and got to her feet, barely noticing when Shippô hopped up and balanced himself on her shoulder. Kagome's mind was elsewhere as her eyes focused on Inuyasha's back, covered in red cloth, right at the point between his slightly defined wing-bones. Dead center.

          'Crimson, just like blood. Inuyasha is covered in blood,' Kagome noted, eyes still trained on the _hanyou. 'He wears the fluid of life like a robe. If he bleeds, I may never know.'_

          "Feh, what are you gawking at?" Inuyasha bit out, ever sounding harsher than he actually was.

          "Nothing in particular, I was just thinking," Kagome replied evenly, unfazed. Inuyasha snorted and continued to lead the way, Kagome and Shippô in tow.

          "He's asleep now, so let's talk," Inuyasha suggested forcefully, eyeing the slumbering Shippô with narrowed gold eyes. Kagome softly patted Shippô and crept over to sit beside Inuyasha on a broken log in front of the dying fire. Midnight blanketed them gently; no clouds overhead blocked the stars or moonlight. The waning silver orb winked down at Kagome, but the priestess was not fooled by the deceptive magic. The warm glow did not woo the analytical teenager and lull her into a false sense of security.

          "You said you smelled blood, Inuyasha?" Kagome spoke first, initiating a significant conversation that she knew could present her with vital revelations concerning the not-too-distant future. Lives could depend on it.

          "Yes," he said with a slight nod, firelight blazing in his eyes. "I wasn't watching, but I think Shippô had already gotten into the water and you were hesitating for some reason, because he kept calling for you to come in. That was about the time I smelled the blood. Did you hurt yourself, and that was why you dawdled?"

          "I wish it were just that," Kagome said softly. "The water showed me another vision, Inuyasha. It—"

          "Wait, wait, _another_ vision? I didn't know there was a first one," he interjected, looking at her expectantly.

          "The nightmare," stated the dark-haired girl. "It was no ordinary dream, but a symbolic vision. And if I don't discover its real meaning soon, it could mean dreadful results."

          "I see."

          "In this vision, I saw the sun setting against a blood-red sky. Suddenly, the sky began undulating, and the blood covered everything. It blotted out the sun and flowed through the water, and when I looked up, Shippô was soaked in it, and so were my hands. Then it vanished."

          For several long moments Inuyasha said nothing, apparently contemplating the strange hallucination of Kagome's.

          "Can you not tell me what the nightmarish vision you had last night was?" he asked at last. He knew it sounded like he was just prying, but he thought if he knew more about the successive visions, he could provide Kagome with more help. Thankfully, she understood his motives and intentions.

          "I was standing in a very pretty grove—blue sky, shining sun, green grass and undergrowth. I called for Shippô-chan, but got no reply, and I knew I would get none if I called you. Then a voice called out my name and I turned around to see an intricate mirror. I saw myself in it, of course, but suddenly my reflection looked evil and mirror-me was holding you in her arms. You were unconscious, and she had a knife in her hand, and she slit your throat, and there was all this blood…"

          By now, Kagome had lost control of her quivering limbs and filling eyes. Tears spilled out and raced down her cheeks until their tracks became hot. Inuyasha quickly wrapped his arms around her to calm her, and he rocked her slowly until the shaking ceased as well as the tears. He couldn't say the description wasn't unnerving, but imparting his own fears wouldn't help Kagome feel any better, and he truly only wanted her to be happy. But the part about the reflection…

          'Kikyou,' Inuyasha thought, his grip on Kagome tightening slightly. She responded by burying her face deeper into the crook of his neck and emitting an almost inaudible whimper. She inhaled a shuddering breath.

          "Why would I see myself killing you so, so…mercilessly?" she whispered, obviously horrified as she remembered the bloodlust in her own zinc eyes, the wicked smile painted across her visage. She jerked back abruptly and clasped Inuyasha's hands tightly in her own, gazing up at him with wide, watery, earnest eyes. "Inuyasha!" she breathed. "I would _never_ purposely hurt you, you know that! I would sooner strike myself down with a poisoned arrow than ever intentionally cause you harm!"

          "Kagome, Kagome," Inuyasha murmured soothingly, breaking one of his hands free from her numbing grasp and stroking her hair. "I believe you, Kagome. I trust you. I know you would never injure a person you care for on purpose. Whatever that vision was, I can assure you that who you saw in the mirror wasn't you. I know it could never be you."

          "H-how do you know?" she questioned, lower lip trembling, nearly invisibly.

          "I just do, Kagome."

          That was the only answer he could give her. Now wasn't the time to bring up Kikyou, and he hoped that the subject would never need to be discussed. But these macabre images bombarding Kagome's sight were somehow related to Kikyou, he knew it. He wondered briefly if he would ever be free from the menace of a woman, but he was quickly distracted when he realized that Kagome had somehow managed to drift to sleep in his arms. Her breathing was quiet and even, and her entire body was relaxed while her consciousness slipped away into slumber. Inuyasha smiled down at her and carefully carried her over to her sleeping pallet. He laid her out, watched her for a moment, and then settled down against a nearby tree to catch forty winks.

          "A castle?" Kagome breathed in awe, her eyes taking in the shining spectacle before her. A huge castle of gleaming white stones with turrets ascending into the heavens stood before her, set in the center of a garden labyrinth. The vibrant green swathed Kagome on all sides, and some of the tall hedges bloomed with roses of every hue.

          "What are you waiting for, Kagome?" she heard Inuyasha call her, and her head shot up. She saw him several yards down the maze's corridor in front of her; he wore a bright smile as he beckoned to her and then dashed off around a corner towards the garden's center.

          "Inuyasha!" Kagome laughed, taking off after him at top speed. Her pounding footsteps echoed on the smooth white flagstones paving the way through the garden maze.

          By listening to Inuyasha's laughter, Kagome was able to trail him and finally see him when they entered a particularly long straight pass through the maze. He glanced over his shoulder and grinned in challenge.

          "Inuyasha!" she called again, her smile wide and bright. She extended her arms out to catch him as she quickly gained on him. But right as her fingers were about to contact the red cloth of his kimono, he vanished into thin air, leaving no trace of his presence there.

          All of a sudden, the hedges around her began to wilt to the ground as the snow-white flagstones beneath her feet decayed and turned murky beige. And as the green leaves withered, long, thorny vines began to creep up and sprawl all across the castle until hardly any of its walls were visible anymore. Eventually, even those vines wilted.

          Finally Kagome was standing in the middle of a deserted plain of cold stones and dead brown plants. In the center of the desert stood the ruins of a once-beautiful castle covered with brown vines.

          "Inuyasha!" Kagome yelled, tears gathering in her eyes. _"INUYASHAAAAAAA!"_

          No answer.

          "This is a nightmare," Kagome whispered tearfully. "I just—I just have to wake up, and it'll be okay.

          "Wake up, Kagome! Wake up, please!" her consciousness begged of her flesh as she continued to weep. "Wake up!"

          She could see that her tears had inexplicably formed a rather large puddle of saltwater at her feet, and her reflection gazed back at her.

          "Wake up—"

          The reflection's expression was sinister as it hissed, "The dead don't wake."

          Kagome's eyes grew large as she took a slow step back and collected a scream in her throat. Tears streaming down her pallid face, she released it.

          Shippô and Inuyasha were both jolted out of their sleep when they heard a woman's piercing scream coming from a distance. Then they noticed that Kagome was missing. Wordlessly they got to their feet and rushed off in the direction the scream had come from.

          "KAGOME!" a familiar voice yelled, and she whirled away from the wicked reflection to see Inuyasha running towards her over the ground littered with crunchy brown plant corpses, Shippô on his heels.

          Kagome was about to be overcome by joy and relief, but then she remembered that Inuyasha had disappeared, so this entity couldn't be him. Her suspicions were confirmed when, as the duo neared her, their skin began to corrode and disintegrate. Soon enough, two skeletons were running at her and saying her name.

          "Stay away from me!" Kagome shrieked, turning around and trying to run away from them. But the skeleton pretending to be Inuyasha was too fast, and soon its bony arms had wrapped around her from behind, holding her in place as she screamed and thrashed in violent protest.

          "Let me go!" Kagome wailed, kicking and squirming in his unyielding grip.

          "Stop, Kagome! What's wrong with you?" her skeleton captor asked fiercely.

          "If you're asleep, please wake up, Kagome," the smaller skeleton begged, standing in front of her.

          "We're not going to hurt you, Kagome! Stop it!" the Inuyasha imposter commanded, his grip on her tightening.

          "Like _hell_ you're not going to hurt me! LET ME GO!" she screamed, her power flaring out and knocking the two sets of bones far away from her.

          "Kagome," the small skeleton sniffled, slowly regaining its footing and wiping at a nonexistent runny nose. "I-I thought you were gonna take care of me, 'cause-'cause my papa and mama…" Then he broke out into full-blown sobs and mumbled incoherently about his deceased parents and his new guardians, Kagome and Inuyasha.

          "Kagome," a voice from behind her murmured. "Just wake up."

          Inhaling shakily, Kagome turned back to the tall skeleton and felt her body open its eyes. The skeleton's skin magically reappeared and Inuyasha was standing before her. He had several deep cuts on his face, and she noticed that he was rubbing his right shoulder as though in pain.

          "Kagome!" Shippô wailed, running up and throwing his short arms around Kagome's legs. She almost fell down, but managed to retain her balance and then scoop Shippô up into a tight embrace.

          "I'm so sorry," Kagome whispered in shame, gently fingering some rips in Shippô's _yukata_, holes she knew she had caused. "I couldn't wake up…and my reflection told me that the dead don't wake…"

          "It's okay, Kagome, you couldn't control it. You were just acting on your instincts, and nobody can blame you for that."

          "_I_ can blame me," Kagome responded dejectedly, her head hanging down and her eyes closed. They opened again, however, when Inuyasha placed two fingers under her chin and lifted her face up so he could see her. He was gazing at her with such softness, and a small smile of understanding and caring graced his countenance.

          Kagome blushed, and this seemed to remove Inuyasha from the gentle trance. He retracted his hand and said, "Let's get back to camp and pack up so we can keep moving."

          Giving Shippô a reassuring squeeze, Kagome sighed and followed Inuyasha back to their camp. She mentally vowed that she was not going to sleep again until the trio arrived at Inuyasha's home.


	6. Uncovering the Truth

**Disclaimer:** I do not claim ownership of _Inuyasha: Sengoku o-Togi Zoushi_. I am borrowing it for entertainment purposes only. No money is being made from the writing or reading of this story. Only original characters and situations belong to me.

**I Want Tomorrow**

©2001-2002 by Kei

**VI – Uncovering the Truth**

          The monotony of walking along the well-developed traveling path was getting to Kagome. Shippô was snoozing on her shoulder, and his rhythmic breathing next to her ear only augmented the drowsiness welling up inside her after not having slept for about five days now. Her head was tilted slightly downwards, and the same patterns ran before her half-lidded eyes in her line of sight: Inuyasha's steady, self-assured stride; Kagome's own _tabi-socked feet reaching out in front of her with every step; and her wooden __geta sandals that created a recurring clack on the gravel._

          Kagome wasn't sure how well she was fooling Inuyasha into thinking she slept a full eight hours every night the way he and Shippô did. Instead she did her best to lie on her sleeping mat without sleeping. Instead she stared up at the stars and thought; sometimes she daydreamed. During those times when she allowed fanciful notions to enter her head, she imagined what it would be like when she and her traveling companions finally arrived at Inuyasha's home.

          She envisioned his mother rushing out to embrace her son, with long sable locks flowing out behind her slim, elegant figure. She would have smooth skin and enchanting dark eyes; her _tomesode_ kimono would be fashioned of only the finest silk and dyed a soothing, pale peach hue. Her obi would be intricately embroidered with multicolored blossoms, and of course a handmaiden would have spent tedious minutes tying the back into the complicated butterfly bow. However, her outward beauty would pale in comparison to the magnificent soul inside. She would be a sweet, adoring wife, and an endlessly doting mother. She would be willing to help anyone in need, discounting species and social status. She would treat her servants well, not like slaves with no minds of their own. She would be, in essence, the perfect woman.

          Inuyasha's father would be tall, with a sleek but strong facial structure and two reddish slashes on each cheek demarking his species, a dog demon. His hair would be long and snowy like Inuyasha's, highly contrasting with the deep black of his kimono decorated by winding golden dragons that set off his glimmering topaz eyes. His muscular arms would be able to easily swing the sword that hung in its sheath suspended from a belt encircling his waist. He would be a powerful creature, in both physical and mental regards, with a commanding voice that demanded to be heard; but he would also be a loving mate and caring father. He would be swift with punishment, but that's not to say he was merciless. No, he would be a just and judicious individual who would raise his offspring with similar convictions.

          Kagome had to be careful not to be lulled by her fantasies and allow them to morph into dreams, though. When she felt herself drifting off into dreamland, she would quickly hop up from her bedroll and walk around the campsite a little bit to keep her blood moving. She would recite childhood songs and rhymes in her head to keep herself occupied while she ambled about the area.

          Inevitably, her legs would grow tired and Kagome would spend the rest of the long night sitting upright, usually against the trunk of a tree, as Inuyasha was wont to do. Speaking of the _hanyou, he soon entered Kagome's thoughts as well. She would often watch him sleeping, as she lacked nothing better to do. She conjectured about his past, of course, but she also contemplated his future. She wondered if her future was intertwined with his. As she considered it more and more, and studied his peaceful countenance as he slept night after night, she decided that she would be overjoyed if she and Inuyasha had a shared future._

          But pondering over this gave way to recollections of her dreadful visions. The ones she'd had so far all seemed to be presentiments relating to Inuyasha's impending premature expiration. Kagome didn't know if she could endure another of the haunting visualizations. The thought of losing Inuyasha was simply unbearable to Kagome.

          But then, in the very first vision, Shippô had been gone; the second one portrayed him covered in blood, the same blood that had been drenching Kagome's hands; and in the third one she had envisaged him as a skeleton. Inuyasha had been murdered by Kagome's reflection in the first vision; he had not been present in the second one, but subsequent to Kagome experiencing that nerve-wracking sight, Inuyasha had smelled the blood Kagome saw, and then she'd noticed the fact that his kimono was blood-red. In the third nightmare, she was chasing him and they were both laughing, but then he'd disappeared and later returned as a skeleton.

          The first two seemed to indicate that Inuyasha and Shippô would perish, and that their blood would be on Kagome's hands. She recalled the wicked reflection she had been confronted with, and no amount of analysis of this could provide her with even a loose interpretation of that element's meaning. The idea of her somehow, for some strange reason, turning _evil_ was absurd. It was possible, she knew, but highly improbable.

          Then how was she supposed to account for her maleficent twin?

          Fortunately for Kagome, by the time these thoughts became overwhelming it would be a couple of hours past dawn and Inuyasha would be rousing from his slumber. He offered conversation and companionship to Kagome, keeping her engaged until they broke camp and set off down the road again.

          "Oi! Get outta the way! MOVE IT!" bellowed the driver of a horse-and-cart clattering down the street. He was urging his horse to go faster and faster down the dirt road through the busy center, just shouting warnings to passersby without any consideration for the people crossing.

          Inuyasha had already stepped to the wayside, assuming Kagome would follow him because she was always alert and observant, though lately she seemed to be less sentient than usual. It took him several moments to realize that she was still shambling along in the middle of the road with her head down, right in the path of the speeding wagon.

          _"KAGOME!"_ Inuyasha yelled at the top of his lungs, not hesitating for even a moment before darting the few yards to Kagome, snatching her and Shippô up, and diving over to the opposite side of the street. The cart driver cursed at them as he passed, but Inuyasha ignored him and instead turned his attention and concern on the disoriented _kitsune and incoherent __miko._

          "Kagome!" Inuyasha barked, shaking her roughly by the shoulders as she lay sprawled across his lap and the dirt. Her dull blue-grey eyes were out of focus as her lips barely moved, trying to form inaudible words.

          "You fool! What were you thinking walking right in the path of that crazy cart driver?" he rebuked her. "Not only did you put your own life at risk, but Shippô's as well! How could you be so _stupid?"_ he demanded, though the admonishment lost much of its power because of the shakiness of fear that accompanied it. He could hardly remember the last time he had been so scared. He couldn't release the idea that, if he had been just a second slower, Kagome and Shippô would have been killed or fatally maimed. He had come far too close to losing the dark-haired priestess he had endeared so much, not that he would ever tell her so outright.

          Inuyasha gathered Kagome's limp figure up in his arms, hugging her close to him. "What were you thinking?" he reiterated in a whisper right beside her ear, his voice nearly breaking with distress.

          "I was thinking," Kagome murmured in a thick voice, "how nice it would be…to fall asleep in your arms again…just…like this…"

          And with that, her head slumped onto his shoulder as she fast descended into unconsciousness.

          Kagome was standing at the crest of a bright green knoll, staring out across the rolling emerald hills and into the setting sun. Oranges, pinks, purples, and blues meshed together across the sky behind the flaming yellow orb of the sun. Several birds flitted across the firmament, chirping tuneful messages to one another.

          "Kagome…" a haunting, hollow voice beckoned her from behind. Kagome immediately whirled around to see the same mirror from her previous vision. The phoenixes glinted into the dimming sunlight, and Kagome studied her reflection closely for any signs of evil intent.

          All of a sudden, a silver grin flashed across the sharp visage of the reflection, and her hand shot out from beneath the glass, creating ripples across its smooth surface as though it were water. The hand clamped down painfully hard on Kagome's shoulder and dragged her through the mirror. She stumbled forward a bit from the force, but when she regained her equilibrium she found herself at the end of a long stone corridor dimly lit by a few flambeaux mounted high on the cold, damp walls. She thought she saw a shadow in the flickering light far at the end of the hall, so she began moving forward to discover whence the shadow fell.

          'What am I stepping in?' Kagome wondered at the sticky liquid substance coating the soles of her bare feet. She cast her eyes downward and nearly choked on a gasp when she saw that a layer of blood was spread across the entire length and width of the floor. Trying to quell her churning stomach, Kagome pressed on, her face contorted into a mask of agony at being forced to walk through someone's blood.

          After several minutes of trudging through the shallow crimson river, Kagome finally arrived at the place where the shadow had been. For a second she didn't see anything, but then she met eyes with the malevolent reflection that had yanked her through the mirror.

          "I'm going to kill Inuyasha, you know," Kagome's copy stated plainly.

          "Not while I'm still alive," Kagome retorted defiantly.

          "Who says you'll be alive?" the other replied, obviously amused by Kagome's assertion.

          For a second Kagome was silent, but then she asked, "Well, why do you want to kill us? No, wait, before you answer that, who are you?"

          "I am…your evil twin," she smirked.

          Kagome rolled her eyes in exasperation. "I know _that_, lady, but what's your damn name?"

          "That is something you should ask Inuyasha."

          Kagome wanted to enquire as to how Inuyasha would know the woman's name, but the dreamscape was fading and Kagome was returning to cognizance.

          The first words spoken to her fell from Inuyasha's fang-baring mouth: "What the hell is wrong with you, Kagome?"

          Kagome groaned, blinking her heavy eyelids and rolling away from the pissed off half-demon. Her joints creaking, she stood up and yawned while she rubbed her left shoulder. The pressure from her fingers sent tiny rivulets of pain flowing on her nerves, and she silently questioned how she had gotten a bruise there. For a second it entered her head that she had acquired the bruise from when her "evil twin" had gripped her shoulder and tugged her through the mirror. She shook her head at the sheer illogicality of that notion; she knew she couldn't be physically injured by a dream.

As she looked around she realized that the setting was different from the one she last remembered. She surmised that Inuyasha had carried her to this quiet thicket to rest and wait for her to regain consciousness.

          "What is that stuff caked on your feet, Kagome?" Shippô questioned innocently. Kagome arched an eyebrow in confusion and quickly sat down again to examine her soles. For a brief moment she worried about the location of her sandals, but immediately caught sight of them over by her pack, bow, and quiver. One of her friends must have taken them off.

          She gripped her right ankle and brought her foot up into her lap, turning it slightly to view the underside. Her eyes widened and speech escaped her when she realized that the hard dark-colored substance encrusting her soles was dried blood. She remembered her evil twin's words about the name Inuyasha would know. Her eyes shot over to the dog demon, who was watching her intently while his nose twitched, trying to discern the nature of the material on Kagome's feet.

          "Inuyasha," she said with more severity in her voice than she intended, "what is my evil twin's name?"

          His topaz eyes clearly exhibited surprise at her question, shock that she would know to ask him such a question. Trying not to think about the consequences in store for his unrevealed knowledge, Inuyasha said in a soft, ashamed voice, "Kikyou."

          Kagome couldn't remember the last time she had felt so hurt, angry, and betrayed. As she stormed through the unfamiliar forest, using her power to shove aside brush that impeded her and turning every so often at a large tree, all she could think about was the fact that Inuyasha _knew_ the evil twin. He had tried to explain about it, but the fact that he had allowed her to suffer the utter helplessness induced by the strange dreams was explanation enough. Kagome never wanted to see his face again.

          She wanted to scream _"Curse you, Inuyasha!"_ as loud as she could, but some small part of her, the selfless, benevolent priestess Kagome, wouldn't allow her to utter the condemnation. Because, in spite of Inuyasha willfully concealing the truth from her about her evil twin's identity, it was no lie that the evil twin intended great harm to Inuyasha and Kagome cursing him would probably ensure his death. As furious as she was at him, she didn't want him to die.

          With a wild ululation of aggravation, Kagome shook her head violently and balled her hands into white-knuckled fists. She punched the nearest thing available, an old, dead tree, and the power behind the blow sawed the tree off at the point of collision and caused it to slam down on the forest floor. Kagome, breathing heavily, stepped back and surveyed the damage she had caused in her blind rage. Her hands loosened and her expression softened, and she exhaled to release her frustration and anger.

          Now that her fury had been erased, though, the hurt bubbled up in Kagome and overflowed. She had to sit down against another nearby tree, hug her knees to her chest, and cry. She had never been away from home before; these horrible presentiments predicting brutal deaths were bombarding her; she hadn't slept more than two hours in the last five days; and now Inuyasha had been keeping important things from her, things that could have helped alleviate some of the anguish that came with not knowing what her dreams meant.

          Abruptly, a male voice broke through Kagome's quiet sniffles. "Right now you would be very easy prey."

          "So why not just kill me and get it over with?" she replied bitterly, not even raising her eyes to look at the predator. But then an image of Shippô flashed through her mind and she realized that she was being selfish. Just as the guy was about to pounce, Kagome jumped up and shouted, "STOP!" She had to stifle a giggle when he fell over.

          After he scrambled to his feet, Kagome was able to get a good look at him. He had a build similar to Inuyasha in terms of stature, and they were probably equal in strength as well. He wore armor partially constructed of tawny fur, and a sword hung at his waist. He also had lengths of fur enclosing his forearms and his lower legs; furry shoulder pads completed the ensemble. His black hair was tied up in a ponytail that hung down quite a ways past his fur-padded shoulders, and a tawny headband encircled his skull. He had angular features, humanoid ears with pointed tips, and startling blue eyes. Had they met under different circumstances, Kagome might have allowed herself to be wooed by his good looks.

          Kagome tentatively released strands of her power that slithered across the ground and lightly touched the youth's feet, then rapidly retreated back into Kagome. From that delicate contact, she determined that this creature was a wolf demon. Having concluded this, Kagome noticed a tail with fur the same color as the pieces of armor protruding from the _youkai's backside. She rolled her eyes at her own ignorance._

          "Why'd you tell me to stop?" he inquired.

          "Because I don't feel suicidal anymore," Kagome replied simply. "I was feeling really sorry for myself when you found me, but that was just foolishness. Now, I'm very tired and I have some obligations to fulfill, so if you'll excuse me—"

          She had just been starting to walk away when he leapt in front of her, obstructing her path. He smirked down into her stunned face, parting his lips and running his tongue over razor-sharp incisors that could rip the meat from Kagome's bones with no trouble.

          "You're really tired and I'm really hungry," he said softly, with a hint of a threatening growl in his voice. "That means you'll be very easy to catch and kill."

          Kagome pursed her lips. "I need to go, and your persistence is annoying me," she told him, trying to shove her way past him, but he pushed her back in front of him with only one arm. She sighed, and he took it to mean that she had accepted her fate to be his meal. He took her by the shoulders, unintentionally pressing on her bruise and making her hiss in pain.

          "Since you're feeling suicidal—"

          "I said I _was_ feeling suicidal, dummy!" Kagome interjected, but he seemed not to hear her exclamation.

          "—I'll make your death quick. I'll tear out your gullet, how's that sound?" he asked rhetorically, opening his mouth wider to sink his teeth into Kagome's throat.

          "That doesn't sound very nice!" Kagome yelled, heaving him away from her with forceful bands of her power. He fell back onto his rump over the fallen tree and sat there for a moment, staring at Kagome in bewilderment. She glared back at him.

          "I thought you were tired and suicidal," he said, getting to his feet and brushing off his seat.

          _"I'm not suicidal anymore!"_ Kagome roared, earning a slightly cowed look from the wolf. "And I haven't slept in FIVE DAYS! But I've no intention of being killed and eaten, so I'm not so tired that I can't defend myself against you, you pig!"

          "But I'm a wolf…"

          "Yes, I'm aware of that—"

          "Could you just let me eat you? I haven't eaten in a couple of days, and I'm starving!"

          "NO! Just who do you think you are?" she demanded. This demon was unbelievable!

          "I'm Kouga, son of the _youkai wolf tribe leader," he answered._

          "Oh, my name's Kagome, it's nice to meet you," she responded out of habit, and she was halfway into a bow when she realized what she was doing. She righted herself, flustered, and glared at Kouga again.

          "The bottom line is, if you want to eat me, you'll have to fight me, and I doubt you'll win," she clarified for him, because he was obviously quite dim in the head.

          He didn't say anything as he approached her, his body language offering no sign of malice or intent to devour her. When he stopped in front of her, he pierced her eyes with his and smiled. It wasn't a ravenous or predatory grin, but a small smile of genuine happiness.

          "I decided just now that you'll be my woman, Kagome," he informed her, as though it were nothing of real significance.

          "E-excuse me?" Kagome sputtered. "Your 'woman'? Just what do you mean by that?" she questioned suspiciously, fearing the answer.

          "You know, you're my woman, I'm your man. We go back to my home, make cute little wolf babies, and live together happily until we die," he explained. "Or until a really gorgeous she-wolf comes along…"

          With a resounding "SMACK!" Kagome slapped Kouga hard across his left cheek. When he rubbed his jaw and looked down at her in confusion, she said hotly, "How dare you treat me that way? I'm capable of making my own choices, Kouga! And when it comes time for me to decide who I want to marry or mate or whatever, I _won't_ be choosing you! I'm not just a brainless baby-maker!" She had to stop for a moment to catch her breath, but she continued on a second later:

          "Even if I did like you—which I DON'T—do you honestly think I would be with someone who would be unfaithful to me the moment he saw someone a little more attractive or appealing in some way? NO! You pretend to be a grown wolf, but in reality you're just a bratty little _pup!"_

          To Kagome's complete and utter shock and vexation, Kouga chuckled, his smile returning with even greater magnitude. He met Kagome's eyes once again and said, "Don't worry, Kagome, I was only joking. When we wolves mate, it's for life."

          And with that, he swept Kagome up in arms and started bounding away with her. Kagome couldn't believe this situation. She had really been hoping that vituperating Kouga would make him leave, because after that single burst of force she'd used, she was unable to summon any more. Her exhaustion had depleted her power, and she had no physical strength to rely on, not right now. All she could do was cross her arms over her chest and fume. And because telling off Kouga had gotten her really riled up, her anger at Inuyasha had returned, and so she wasn't about to yell for him as loud as possible to come and save her.


	7. In the Company of Wolves

**Disclaimer:** I do not claim ownership of _Inuyasha: Sengoku o-Togi Zoushi_. I am borrowing it for entertainment purposes only. No money is being made from the writing or reading of this story. Only original characters and situations belong to me.

**I Want Tomorrow**

©2001-2002 by Kei

**VII – In the Company of Wolves**

          The first thought, fuzzy as it was, to surface in Kagome's mind was 'I didn't have a vision while I was asleep.'

          She sat up slowly, feeling more rested than she had since before leaving home on her journey with Inuyasha and Shippô. She also felt a bit damp, but chalked it up to sweat secreted during her slumber. She had slept on a velvety brown wolf pelt all night, with a second one on top of her serving as a blanket. Her bedroll was a wooden board compared to the softness of the fur. A distant liquid roar flowed into her ears, and she guessed a waterfall must be nearby.

          'I feel so calm and rested,' she thought. 'I can hardly wait to tell Inu—"

          "So, you're finally awake," a voice spoke up from the shadows of the cave Kagome was in. She gasped, startled, and instinctively reached back to grab nonexistent arrows out of an imaginary quiver. She frowned when she realized she didn't have her favorite weapon and looked in the direction the voice had come from. Her captor, Kouga, slinked out of the umbra and approached her. He squatted down by her bed and gazed deeply into her eyes. Kagome arched an eyebrow at his strange, serious expression.

          "How did you sleep?" he asked finally.

          "With my eyes closed," Kagome replied bluntly, though Kouga obviously did not understand the joke. Kagome sighed at his obliviousness, sure that Inuyasha would have understood her remark, and said, "Actually, better than I have in a while. Thanks."

          "Anything for my woman," Kouga grinned, showing fearsome canines.

          "Would you quit referring to me that way?" Kagome muttered. "I'm _not_ your woman. You're delusional, Kouga."

          "Would you rather be my woman or my meal?" Kouga inquired, this time baring his teeth threateningly.

          Kagome regarded him with sorrowful blue-grey eyes. "So that's it, then? If I don't agree to be your mate, you'll eat me? I don't even have a choice in the matter? Why was I so stupid as to hope that you'd have a good enough heart to let me go free if I really didn't like being here?"

          Kouga glanced away, looking contrite. He growled weakly, angry with himself for his rash words. He knew he wouldn't eat Kagome.

          "Sorry," he murmured, a bit surprised when Kagome crossed her arms over her chest and huffed disgustedly. He watched her curiously, awaiting the words that lay stationary on her tongue until they were urged forth.

          "No, I'm sorry," she said softly, her dark eyebrows knitted together like she was deep in contemplation.

          "For what?" Kouga asked, bemused at her sudden shift from forlorn little girl to brooding priestess.

          "What I said just now, Kouga, that was manipulative and unfair of me," Kagome declared. "I know that you have certain feelings about me, muddled as they may be, and I took advantage of them. If you can find it within your heart to forgive me, I implore you to do so. It's just that I was thrown into this new situation so abruptly, and desperation overtook me. My action just now was that of a desperate person. Do you understand? I'm sorry, Kouga."

          "Kagome," Kouga murmured, leaning forward just enough to drop from a squatting position to a kneeling one so he could wrap his arms around her. Kagome's eyes went wide and she squirmed, trying to unfold her arms to push him gently awake and indicate his fallacy in believing her apology was a concession to remaining here and being his "woman." She wouldn't be thus held by any creature save a certain stupid dog demon, despite how enraged she was at his withholding of the truth from her.

          Though Kagome was trying valiantly to free herself from Kouga's embrace, she was not the one who succeeded in interrupting the moment. No, the scene was broken when a wolf loped into the cave and transformed into a pretty young woman when her sharp eyes caught sight of the pair.

          "What's going on here? Who is this, Kouga?" the she-wolf demanded, and Kouga spun around and stood up in the same fluid motion. He placed himself protectively in front of Kagome, who peeked around his legs to view the intruder, remembering another male who had likewise possessed the instinct to protect her.

          The unknown woman had long black tresses and menacing violet eyes that glared daggers at Kagome. She wore a more feminine version of the armor decorating Kouga's figure, and she too had a bushy, tawny tail emerging from her lower backside.

          Before Kagome's kidnapper could reply to the female's inquiries, the wolf-girl bit out another remark. "Not only does she stink like a dog, she carries the scent of blood on her."

          'I need a bath,' Kagome thought, horrified that she actually had an odor. She decided she would ask Kouga as soon as possible where the nearest river could be located. She wondered absently if he would be as polite as Inuyasha had been and perch on a sturdy bough while Kagome cleansed herself.

          "I don't think it's really any of your business," Kouga growled in retort. Kagome felt him change before she actually saw his metamorphosis from humanoid to wolf. It created tiny ripples of energy in the air around him, and his proximity to Kagome was such that the energy danced lightly across her bare skin.

          Though she had known he was a wolf demon, it still surprised Kagome to see Kouga in this form. He was a huge canine creature with midnight fur and glowing, hypnotic red eyes, and he now had his teeth bared at the other woman, snarling for all he was worth. The sound was so deep and intense that Kagome could swear the ground beneath her was quivering.

          "Why are you defending her? She's an abomination, Kouga! I can't believe you brought her here! She's food, not friend!" the female wolf admonished the growling male.

          Kouga leapt forward and flattened the woman on her back, diminishing her completely with his enormity, and she whimpered her submission. Kouga was obviously dominant, and with a final snort of antipathy he got off her chest and trotted back to Kagome, circling her twice before situating himself on his haunches beside her. Even when he sat his head towered above hers by a meter or more, instilling just a tiny degree of fear in Kagome of how powerful this _youkai really could be if he applied himself._

          After the girl hurriedly collected herself and scurried away, Kagome spoke up quietly. "Not a very friendly thing, is she?"

          The comment was made lightly, but Kagome was quite serious about the she-wolf's instant animosity towards her. It was unsettling, and she dwelled briefly on what could have occurred had Kouga not been there to defend her against the threat. A small question suspended in the back of her mind asked if Inuyasha could have so easily eliminated the danger posed by the female wolf.

          "Anyway, you have my gratitude, Kouga. Thank you for protecting me," Kagome said to him, and he put forth a lupine smile. He leaned over and licked her right hand, and she would have jerked the limb away, but her girlish love for anything even remotely adorable and puppy-like took over and she allowed him to give the grubby extremity a short tongue-bath.

          When he finished the job to his satisfaction, he moved himself to a position right in front of her, and Kagome craned her neck backward to view his face. She watched, entranced, as energy billowed around Kouga and he began shrinking and shifting in size and shape. Not a minute later he was before her in the human form he had been wearing when he first encountered the young woman. He smiled and said, "You're welcome, Kagome. It is my duty to protect you, after all, you bein' my woman and everything."

          Kagome rolled her eyes and looked at him, one eyebrow arched high as she regarded his nonchalant expression, his seeming unawareness of the fact that she was only his woman in his warped little mind.

          "Kouga, I want you to listen to me," she spoke in a voice one might use when addressing a child. "I'll put this as plainly as I possibly can, and I hope that you heed it: _I am not your woman_."

          "Not officially, no," Kouga replied, blithe as ever. "There of course will have to be the conjugal rites with the consent of my sire and dam, and witnessed by all the members of the tribe. Naturally, the consummation will follow after, and _then_ you will truly be my woman." He flashed a grin, and despite the boyish charm it exuded, Kagome easily resisted. She didn't know how to make the wolf demon understand, but she sincerely hoped that he eventually would.

          Kouga extended his left index finger to gently push Kagome's chin upward so her gaze met his. His aura rippled smoothly around hers, the edges of it commingling with Kagome's energy. She felt warmth from all sides and knew his affection was genuine, but she could not return it, no matter how sweetly he smiled or to what lengths he went to protect her. Her current dedication was not to him, but to a particular canine _hanyou with eyes like the sun. His visage swam in her consciousness, and as much as she strove to drown it, it would not yield, nor was Kagome certain she really wished it to. She realized her wrath at Inuyasha had dulled. No, she hadn't quite forgiven him yet, but she was well on her way towards that point._

          Kagome sucked her aura in as close to her as possible, but Kouga's unhesitatingly pursued. Looking deep into the blue pools of his eyes, she comprehended that he did not perceive the numinous dance of their energies as she did. It wasn't that he was dumb, just incapable.

          "Where is the nearest moving body of water?" Kagome inquired, and the question broke Kouga's concentration. He had obviously expected some amorous discourse or other, but Kagome would have none of it. She needed to get clean.

          With a chuckle, Kouga answered, "Right in front of you, Kagome. This cave is behind a waterfall. Does that sound suitable to you?"

          "One has to go through the waterfall to enter this cave?" she asked, receiving a wordless nod in reply. That explained the dampness she had first felt upon awakening.

          Unsure of what to say next, Kagome slowly rose to her feet and began making her way towards the cave entrance, Kouga following right behind her. She tried to ignore his presence, but it completely inundated her sentience. She swallowed and increased her speed slightly, but Kouga kept up effortlessly. Kagome found it obnoxious and wondered if perhaps Kouga was a leech demon and not a wolf _youkai._

          At last they arrived in front of white wall of water shielding the cave from the outside world. Kagome tossed a cursory glance back at her self-appointed guardian before hurtling out of the cavern through the cold cataract and plunging into the river below. She cared not at all that Kouga had not followed her, and was glad for it more than anything else.

          The chilly water engulfed her completely, saturating her clothes and skin, eliminating all sounds except for the surge of the current. Kagome fleetingly wished the watercourse would just sweep her away to the ocean, away from the tribulations burdening her life.

          When she floated to the surface she found several diminutive spectators staring intently at her. The humanoid wolf cubs discussed something amongst themselves in low voices, their eyes darting over to Kagome every so often. Finally one of them stepped forward, a little boy whose round face and green eyes caused recollections of Shippô to flood into Kagome's mind and bombard at her conscience.

          "You're the one, aren't you? Kouga's mate?" the small male questioned.

          Kagome pursed her lips and rolled her eyes at being referred to as such. However, having gleaned from Kouga's speech and manners that this was a human-eating wolf tribe, she understood that the designation of being his mate was the only protection she had.

          With this in mind, Kagome returned her gaze to the children and said, "Yes, that's right."

          Their chubby faces broke out into wide smiles as they bounced up and down, clapping their small, clawed hands.

          "She's our new sister!" one of them cheered.

          "She must be a lot nicer than Mami if big brother Kouga's chosen her to be his woman!" another enthused.

          "What's your name, big sister?" the brazen leader asked.

          "Kagome," she told him.

          "I'm Jin, big sister Kagome," he introduced himself. Then, pointing to his fellows, he gave their names as well.

          "Let's take a bath with big sister Kagome!" the lone little girl named Yukiya suggested merrily.

          "Last one in's a rotting _gokuraku-chou_ carcass!" announced the pony-tailed Masaru.

          "Not gonna be me!" cried Shiro, giggling as he dove in.

          Jin and the other two followed suit, howling gleefully as they splashed into the river. Kagome observed their innocent play impassively. She would have preferred some private time to herself, just a bit of isolation in which to sort out her thoughts, but it seemed that would not be possible. She tried to devise a plan of escape, but the kids' shouts penetrated her skull, making so much noise she could hardly think.

          With a sigh of defeat, she situated herself so she floated on her back, her eyes closed to the blinding afternoon sun. The cubs' laughs and joyful yelps passed around her unacknowledged. She let the rushing waters break up the dirt and blood on her body and clothing and wash it all away. She inhaled deeply and righted herself, planting her feet on the sandy river bottom and rubbing her eyes. She saw Yukiya, Shiro, and Masaru paddling about frantically, wailing something about Jin.

          "What's wrong?" she inquired, wading over to them.

          "The current took Jin away!" Yukiya keened. Kagome gasped and whipped her head around to see Jin bobbing away down the swift river, flailing his short arms and yowling for all he was worth. She told the others to get to shore and find Kouga before pushing off a large rock with her feet, shooting down the channel towards Jin. With powerful strokes and kicks, Kagome was able to reach Jin and grab hold of him to keep him above the water. He had acquired a bluish tint to his skin from water inhalation, but Kagome judged that he would eventually be all right, if she could just extricate them from the current's inexorable grip.

          Kagome caught sight of an old tree on the river's left bank with one branch overhanging the river. She urgently beseeched the tree's spirit to save them, and launched her power at the large bough jutting over the waters. Focusing so hard it pained her, Kagome held fast to the tree and slowly but surely hoisted herself and Jin up until she was sitting atop the sturdy bough, clutching Jin close to her as he trembled and sobbed.

          "Kagome!" she heard someone cry from the ground. She glanced down to see Kouga racing ahead of a small band of _youkai_ wolves to get to her. He easily leapt from the shore to the branch, and ventured out towards Kagome, extending his arms. She handed her dripping cargo over to him, noting his surprised expression. She knew he had expected her to throw herself into his embrace, but that was certainly not going to happen.

          "Jin-chan!" a woman's distressed voice exclaimed, and Kagome watched as Kouga gave the wet child to an older woman wearing a mixture of fear and relief on her face. She held the traumatized pup tightly, close to tears. All the accompanying wolves were standing still, viewing the scene staidly and eyeing the woman with something akin to reverence. Even Kouga had fallen silent and tranquil. From what Kagome understood of wolf packs, she guessed that Jin's mother was the alpha female, which would mean that many of the younger wolves were her offspring, including Kouga.

          When at last Jin's mother finished fussing over him and sent him off to be cared for by some handmaidens, she turned her intense blue eyes to Kagome, who had since climbed down from her perch and taken up a position in front of the tree trunk.

          "You saved my Jin, did you not?" she questioned, approaching the human girl.

          "I did," Kagome answered softly.

          "And are you not also the one my eldest son has chosen for a mate?" she continued, though her tone was not as accusatory as Kagome might have anticipated.

          "I am."

          "He has chosen well."

          Kagome's head shot up and she was nearly stunned to see the alpha female smiling warmly at her, a smile reminiscent of Kagome's own mother's when she gazed fondly upon her blossoming daughter.

          "I am Natsuko," she said, inclining her head at Kagome.

          "Kagome," she responded slowly, bowing slightly out of respect.

          "Come, Kagome, we must find you some proper clothes and do away with those drenched rags you're wearing," Natsuko declared, taking Kagome by the hand and leading her back to the wolf tribe's encampment near the waterfall. Kouga walked beside his woman the entire time, smiling widely to himself because of his mother's approval and acceptance of Kagome.

          When they arrived back at the _youkai_ wolves' camp, Kagome was spirited away by a great many of Natsuko's attendants who proceeded to scrub her to shining perfection before decking her out in an immaculate white kimono and matching obi cinched around her slender middle. Her tangled sable hair was fastidiously tamed and subsequently pinned up in the _bunkin-takashimada_ style, though Kagome was unaware of it. She had no mirror in which to glimpse her reflection, and she doubted she would be allowed to go down to the river any time soon. Then her eyes darted over to the mucky bathwater, which, despite its polluted condition, could serve as an ad hoc looking glass.

          Kagome made a move to stand up from her seat, but she was roughly pushed back down as combs and other unknown ornaments pierced her scalp to decorate her hairdo. She also felt some sort of strange bonnet contraption being situated on her skull. She scowled, crossing her arms over her chest and sulking until the handmaidens chirped their approval and left Kagome to her own devices, their only instruction being to wait in the bath chamber until she was summoned.

          Upon feeling certain of her seclusion, Kagome tiptoed over to the bath basin and leaned over to see herself. When her image came into view, the priestess almost choked. Why hadn't she been paying attention? They'd been dressing her in a _shiro-maku_ wedding kimono! They meant to bind her to Kouga in matrimony as soon as possible, probably that very night!

          Grunting, the unwilling bride attempted to wrench her _tsuno-kakushi_ off her head without tearing all her hair out. But before she could get it to budge even a bit, Natsuko stepped into the chamber and beckoned Kagome to follow her. The girl followed the alpha female reluctantly, all her flesh screaming to be released from the pristine bridal garb.

          Kouga's mother gracefully arranged herself on a large silk cushion, and indicated for Kagome to occupy the one beside her. The unenthusiastic bride-to-be tried to place herself atop the pillow as elegantly as she could, but the constraining _shiro-maku_ hampered her movements a great deal, and she wobbled and squeaked worriedly as she lowered herself down into a kneeling position like the one Natsuko had adopted.

          "You look so lovely," Natsuko commented once Kagome had settled. She coughed delicately behind one slim, clawed hand. "For a human girl, that is."

          Kagome blushed peevishly at the remark, but chose to keep her head down and not to speak.

          "Though we are strictly averse to welcome humans into our tribe—most specifically because we frequently feast on them—know that you will be treated with the utmost respect because of your status as Kouga's mate," the she-wolf informed her future daughter-in-law.

          Kagome's eyes went wide as she continued to stare down at her hands resting against the white material on her lap. The bluntness of the statement, not to mention its reference to the wolves' devouring of humans, made her blood run cold.

          Natsuko went on speaking about the ceremony, but Kagome wasn't listening anymore. She had turned her attention inward and begun invoking the _kami_.

          'Spirits of soil, imbue my emotions with your resilient inertia. Let me not weep, let me not lash out, let my eyes reveal nothing of my misgivings,' she prayed. 'Oh watchful _kami_, protect me in my time of trouble and let not my heart be consumed by distress. Generous spirits, send me a miracle…'

          "Come, Kagome, the moon has risen, and the ceremony will start soon," Natsuko told her, rising to her feet.

          Kagome's mind whirred frantically, searching for any reason at all for delay of the looming nuptials.

          "But what about Kouga's honored father? Isn't his permission required before Kouga and I may be wed?" Kagome inquired innocently, gazing up at Natsuko hopefully.

          Natsuko smiled at the girl and said, "While you were bathing, my mate arrived home after a long day of hunting and granted our son his leave for Kouga to mate with you."

          "Oh," Kagome murmured, her hopes dashed. She scrabbled anxiously for any cause that would forestall the ritual. One finally dawned on her and she asked, "May I see Jin? I want to see that he's all right."

          "That's kind of you, Kagome, but I assure you that Jin-chan is recovering quite well, and you have my consent to visit him _after the conjugal rites," Natsuko said, a hint of brusqueness laced in her words._

          Kagome gulped and nodded, at last standing up to follow Natsuko to the riverside, where Kouga and his entire tribe awaited her appearance. She wanted to drag her feet and impede the start of the rites, but though better of it, not wanting to risk some sort of physical punishment for lingering. She also briefly considered striking out with her power, but knew it was still a bit weak, and she couldn't defend herself from the droves of wolves in the tribe.

          'Please, please, save me, save me, save me, please…' she mentally beseeched the higher powers. She saw Kouga posing proudly in the fast descending twilight, his eyeteeth glinting in the moonlight faintly beaming down from the darkening sky.

          The lone human girl felt what seemed like a million eyes on her, each pair sizing her up in consideration of how good she might taste. The energy in the air stabbed at her, antagonistic and bloodthirsty. The only ones who didn't seem to utterly hate her were Kouga of course, and his mother and the cubs she had met that afternoon.

          A wizened wolf _youkai stood beside Kouga, and Kagome supposed him to be the one presiding over the ceremony. Also taking up a space near the groom was a large, fearsome wolf Kagome took to be Kouga's sire. Kouga was practically the spitting image of this imposing creature, just smaller in size. The tribe's leader regarded Kagome apathetically, looking rather bored with the proceedings._

          A bit beyond the elderly wolf Kagome saw a flash of hostile purple eyes, and she guessed that was the female wolf Kouga had fended off earlier, the same one she figured the pups had been referring to when they talked about an unfriendly Mami.

          Kagome's stomach knotted and she felt on the verge of losing consciousness, but a familiar presence tingled at the back of her mind, and her heart leapt in her chest. It became stronger and stronger as its owner drew nearer to the camp and Kagome's heart beat faster and faster.

          When the aura exploded behind her eyes she whirled around and immediately directed her view to the silhouette poised atop the cliff where the waterfall crashed over into the channel below. She couldn't contain her joy and relief any longer. She opened her mouth and one word rang from her throat:

          "Inuyasha!"

=====

_NOTES:_

Thanks to **Yamashita** (Not the psychopathic muse! Noooo! But seriously, thank you for sticking with this.); **Persephone of Abydos** (Well, thank you for sharing your opinion with me. What I said was rather silly, and I have since learned to be happy that I get any reviews at all. I'm glad you like the story.); **usagipegasus**; **cherrystemtwister** (Probably Miroku and Sango will be in it, and Sesshômaru will definitely be in it, and on that note, most likely Jaken as well. Can't say for sure about Rin, but we'll see.); **chris-san** (It's IC? Really? That's a relief to hear, seriously…); **AngelsExist** (Kouga did cut a dorky rug, didn't he? *laughs*); **DemonBlade** (My goodness, I think you want Kouga knocked off. I promise that he will get out of the picture, though I don't think by death. Kikyou, on the other hand, well…you'll just have to see.); **kmf** (Thanks so much for the long review! It's nice to hear your thoughts! And I am continuing this [duh, Kei .], definitely.)

Okay everybody, I _finally_ return. The combination of schoolwork and procrastination really burns me out, and I'm very sorry about that. I can't make any guarantees about when the next installment will arrive, but I'm shooting for some time during the winter holidays, when I get a well-deserved reprieve from the grueling workload doled out by my dear Holy Hell High.

I just want to extend my gratitude to all of you for your continued readership. You've stuck with this, despite how long it takes for updates, and I am so thankful for that. I will finish this, no matter how long it takes. I hope at least some of you can bear with me through the end.

Alright, that's it for my spiel. I hope you enjoyed the chapter! I look forward to hearing what you think.

Kei ^^V


	8. Leavetaking

**Disclaimer:** I do not claim ownership of _Inuyasha: Sengoku o-Togi Zoushi_. I am borrowing it for entertainment purposes only. No money is being made from the writing or reading of this story. Only original characters and situations belong to me.

**I Want Tomorrow**

©2001-2003 by Kei

**VIII – Leave-taking**

          At that moment, when she saw him standing at the cliff's edge, Kagome thought she had never seen anything more beautiful. Moonlight made his white hair glow silver as it blew in the passing breeze; his gold eyes sparkled brilliantly from within the shadows shrouding most of his form. His aura poured over Kagome, its intensity matching that of the waterfall nearby. She rejoiced to feel him near again, completely forgetting the rage she had once felt over him keeping secrets from her.

          "Inuyasha!" she cried again. She started to lift her arms from her sides to reach out for him and begin running, but she almost collided with Kouga's back. The wolf _youkai_ had stepped protectively in front of her, effectively blocking her view of her saviour. She glared at his thick black ponytail, and continued raising her right hand until it closed around the coarse ebony locks. She yanked down with all her might, shocking Kouga, who was so startled (not to mentioned pained) that he lost his footing and dropped unceremoniously to the ground. He gazed up at his bride-to-be with wide, questioning aqua eyes, rather confused as to why she would do such a thing. With a mental shrug, he decided perhaps it was some odd human mating custom. He got to his feet, brushed himself off, and turned once again to look at the intruder.

          "What're you doing here? Who are you and whaddya want?" Kouga shouted up at the stranger.

          For a moment there was no reply. The rapt onlookers watched speechlessly as the interloper fearlessly leapt off the precipice and landed mere meters away from the as yet unwed bride and groom. Everyone scrutinized the intruder closely, and most drew back with snarls of disdain when they realized he was a dog, and a _hanyou_ at that. Many of the wolf tribe took their lupine forms in preparation for battle, but were halted abruptly when their leader spoke.

          "This is between Kouga and the dog, no one else!" Kouga's sire boomed. "Anyone who dares to interfere will feel my fangs at his throat!"

          Those who had transformed reclaimed their humanoid shapes, and all the tribe members shifted to create a large circle around the trio of Kouga, his mate, and the _hanyou_. Everyone was so focused on the imminent duel that nobody noticed a lone wolf stalking furtively around the edge of the circle, watching the white-garbed human girl with sharp, mordant amethyst eyes.

          "I've come for Kagome," the dog said finally, his eyes narrowed at Kouga. "Let her go."

          "She's not a prisoner here," Kouga answered indignantly. "She's here of her own free will. She won't be going with you, _inukkoro_. She's gonna stay and be my mate."

          Kagome, peeping out from behind Kouga, watched Inuyasha's face intently as his expression changed from one of anger to one of mild confusion.

          "I wanna ask Kagome if she feels that way," Inuyasha said slowly, his hands tightening into fists.

          "I speak for both of us," Kouga retorted, unaware of the scowling human girl who had moved out from behind him.

          "Inu—," Kagome tried to say, but Kouga suddenly turned and crushed her in a fierce embrace. She worried about suffocating in the overzealous wolf's forceful hold.

          "Don't worry, Kagome," he whispered, attempting to sound reassuring. "I'll fight this mutt for you, and I'll win, and we won't be bothered again." He kissed her on the temple and released her, failing to see how she gasped for breath.

          "I'll fight you, _inukkoro_. Whoever wins gets Kagome," Kouga declared.

          "She ain't a prize, bastard," Inuyasha barked.

          'Thank you!' Kagome thought, grimacing in Kouga's general direction.

          "If I win, you let her go. If you win, well, I guess she stays here," Inuyasha asserted. Kouga nodded his acceptance of the terms and got into a fighting stance. His knees were bent slightly; he balanced on the balls of his feet. He had his fists up, ready to take the defensive or the offensive.

          Inuyasha, on the other hand, didn't care to look stylish and take some sort of pose. He cracked his knuckles, flexed his hands a couple of times, and, without warning, dove for Kouga.

          Kouga sidestepped, thinking Inuyasha would simply fly by him and slide pitifully into the dust. He was shocked when a clawed hand shot out, gripped his ankle, and wrenched him off his feet. And while he was down, Inuyasha pounced, slamming his weight on Kouga and pummeling the wolf's face with his fists.

          With a roar, Kouga shoved the _hanyou_ off and leapt to his feet, irked to find that his opponent was on his feet as well. After roughly wiping away the blood flowing generously from his split lip and probably broken nose, Kouga dashed forward at Inuyasha, talons outstretched to pierce the half-breed's throat and rip it out.

          Inuyasha thrust his hands out and laced his fingers through Kouga's, digging his sharp claws deep into the backs of Kouga's hands. He broke the thin flesh easily and was satisfied to hear Kouga grunt in pain. Before the wolf could regain his senses, Inuyasha bashed Kouga's forehead with his own hard skull and then slammed his foot into Kouga's vulnerable stomach, sending the blue-eyed demon soaring backward. He landed hard on his back, skidding through sharp rocks that sliced open his skin and dirt that stung harshly in the wounds.

          Kagome looked from Inuyasha to Kouga and back again. Seeing the wolf in such agony caused her to waver in her eagerness to return to Inuyasha and Shippô and their journey to Inuyasha's home. She wondered if maybe she should stay here with the wolves, because Kouga needed someone to watch out for him….

          'No,' Kagome realized. 'If I remained, it would be out of pity, not love, and that would be more disgraceful and humiliating for Kouga than losing this fight.'

          Inuyasha stood back and waited for Kouga to get up. With a loud groan, Kouga at last rose to his feet. He glared balefully at Inuyasha, and Kagome observed in horror as Kouga's blue eyes turned red and the dust around him swirled with energy. His image rippled and mutated into the huge black wolf Kagome remembered from just that morning. The power emanating from the gargantuan beast was staggering, fueled by the rage within him. Kagome gulped and looked at Inuyasha, who had given no ground, even in the face of such a fearsome foe.

          'He has no weapon but his claws,' Kagome thought frantically, frozen as she saw Kouga bare his fangs, which had to be at least a meter in length, though they were unexpectedly thin and narrow.

          A growl rumbling deep in his throat, Kouga charged at Inuyasha, who barely dodged Kouga's paw falling to pound him into the dirt. The giant black wolf swiped again at the _hanyou_, who jumped out of the way once more. With a tenacity that stunned all the spectators, Inuyasha leapt up onto Kouga's back and scrabbled ferociously at his ears.

          Howling in pain and annoyance, Kouga shook his head vigorously, succeeding in throwing Inuyasha off. The white-haired dog-boy sailed through the air until he hit the ground with a sickening thud, his head striking a jagged rock. Blood pooled around him, coloring his pale hair a deep, dark crimson.

          Kouga wasted no time in taking advantage of Inuyasha's vulnerable recumbence. He bounded forward, his large jaws parting and releasing large drops of saliva that flew out as he advanced on his opponent. He swiftly, brutally snatched up the half-demon in his frothy maw, audibly spearing Inuyasha through his neck and his stomach with nauseating squelching sounds. The maimed, impaled _hanyou_'s mouth opened in a silent scream as his topaz eyes widened in horrific shock and ineffable pain.

          Kagome's vision was filled with blood. The fluid of life spurted from the ghastly punctures in her companion's limp, enervated body. It spilled onto the dirt, branching out into bloody little tributaries. It soaked deeply into his red kimono, distinctly darkening its color. Kagome knew now that she would never have any trouble discerning whether or not Inuyasha bled.

          After a repulsive, beastly display of violently shaking Inuyasha's ragged form still locked in his jaws, Kouga spit the dog demon out and watched with smug satisfaction as his lifeless body tumbled to the ground in a sanguinary heap that was almost unrecognizable as the fearless half-breed who had confronted the wolf _youkai_ not long before.

          Her breath quickening to the point of hyperventilation and her heart beating faster than a rabbit flees, Kagome's chest shuddered and she released an unearthly, earsplitting scream. All eyes fell on her trembling figure as she stared in stunned horror at Inuyasha crumpled on the ground in an ever-expanding pool of his own blood. Kouga had killed him!

          Images flooded Kagome's racing mind, recalling the discovery of her father's mangled corpse in the woods surrounding their home. There had been blood everywhere, and Hirofumi's eyes had been huge and dead, gazing up at the sky. Reliving the abject horror of that moment increased Kagome's storm of emotions into a dangerous, raging tempest that she could hardly control. She wanted to lash out at all those who had hurt her and the ones she cared about. She felt a rapacious desire to tear Kouga's heart from his chest and feed it to his loyal wolves. She could feel the bloodthirsty craving engulfing her like a tsunami wave, and she felt small and helpless, powerless to stop it.

          And yet, there was something, tiny but bright, flickering in the back of her mind that slammed her back into her self. Her mouth opened again.

          _"NO!"_

          She glared into Kouga's big red eyes, her lower jaw quavering. The almost undetectable flickering had been Inuyasha's life force. He was still alive, but just barely. Kagome had to protect what little vitality remained in his mutilated being. She jogged awkwardly over to him and sank to her knees beside him, lightly, tentatively stroking his tangled, blood-matted hair. She jerked her head up when she realized Kouga's long, intimidating shadow no longer fell over them. She saw him standing in his humanoid guise a few meters from where she knelt by Inuyasha. Her eyes stayed on him, though her face was blank, as he slowly approached her.

          Once he stood no farther from her than a man's height, he said, "Do you fear me now, Kagome? Or hate me? Or both?"

          Her momentary silence he accepted as an affirmative, but then she murmured, "Neither." She glanced up, and upon seeing his eyes glimmer with a sheen of hope, added, "But nor do I love you. You are…not _bad_, Kouga, but I think there are many things you don't understand. You need more time to grow and mature before you take a mate, especially a human one. You must learn that your strength is not your only asset."

          "Kagome, I—"

          "You didn't really give me a choice in the matter of staying here with you, and you didn't stop to notice that the whole time I've been here I've been longing to leave. You treated me like a possession," she said quietly. "And that…is very wrong."

          "I'm sorry," he mumbled, casting his sharp blue eyes down.

          "Thank you for your remorse, but it doesn't erase what you've done. Perhaps my heart is big enough to forgive you—eventually. But I am certain it is _not_ big enough to love you, ever, in any way. I think you should forget me, and I hope that you're able to find someone who will expedite the process considerably," she stated honestly.

          "Please, Kagome, I—," Kouga stuttered, but couldn't seem to convey his feelings in words. He swallowed hard and said, "I can't forget you. In fact, I refuse to."

          Kagome met his gaze squarely and replied expressionlessly, "Then think of me as a friend, and nothing more."

          With that, she set about gingerly gathering up Inuyasha's broken body in her arms and steadily plodding away, her burden issuing crimson liquid all over her spotless white kimono.

          There was a collective gasp from the crowd when a normal-sized black wolf suddenly burst forth from among them, headed straight for Kagome's retreating back.

          Without even turning around, the young priestess repelled the attack with a gigantic dancing green flame that inexplicably blazed up around her and Inuyasha. The wolf smashed into the shield and bounced harmlessly off, hitting the ground hard after receiving a decisive shock from Kagome's powerful aura.

          The amethyst-colored bitterness pouring off the offending wolf immediately told Kagome that it was Mami, driven by jealously to attempt to murder Kouga's chosen woman.

          Mami remained undeterred. She drove herself again and again into the incandescent green armor, but all to no avail. She was further enraged by the fact that Kagome continued walking away, ignoring Mami utterly.

          After snarling and pawing angrily at the dirt for a moment, Mami lifted her head and let out a strange bark that Kagome sensed was magical. It battered her shield and then broke it, providing Mami with an easy target. She darted forward and leaped at the human girl as Kagome whirled about, Inuyasha still firmly in her hold.

          "Fool!" she cried scornfully as a thick vine of her power shot out from seemingly nowhere and encircled Mami's throat. Kagome's eyes raised, and so did the struggling black wolf. She made gagging noises as the vine tightened; her thrashing became weaker and weaker. At last Mami let herself hang limp, awaiting death's dark embrace. But her ears perked when she heard Kagome speaking.

          "Don't you see that I'm leaving, you dumb bitch? And still you are so full of hate and fear that you would threaten me?"

          She laughed shortly, humorlessly, before continuing, "But I'm not like you, Mami. I don't hate you; I pity you. Heed me well, wolf: This is your first and _only_ lesson in mercy from me. I trust that we won't meet again, but should our paths cross for some reason, and you act antagonistic to me or anyone under my protection, you can rest assured that I will not hesitate to kill you."

          Then the green vine vanished and Mami fell gracelessly to the ground, panting hard. She stared at Kagome one last time before hurriedly loping away and losing herself in the throng of spellbound spectators.

          Kagome, secure in the knowledge that no one else posed a threat, started her trek once more, cradling Inuyasha even more closely to her.

          All was silent and still as the _miko_ gradually made her way out of the wolf tribe's territory. When she was on the fringes of the forest, Kouga called out, "Goodbye, Kagome!"

          For a second there was no reply, but the wind carried her low, lilting voice to his sensitive ears:

          "Farewell."

=====

_NOTES:_

Thanks to **zel no miko** (Haha, you're pretty smart, guessing at Mami trying to kill Kagome. I couldn't have Kagome kill her; I hope you understand the reason behind this. As for Sango and Miroku, I do think they will be appearing later on….); **Ladyspice** (Well, even though Kouga's out of the picture [for now, ^_~], he will still come up in conversation, so perhaps will in that way provide some humorous instances.); **Twin Star of Suzaku** (Yes, our dear Inuyasha does indeed pick a fight with Kouga. Can't have him be too OOC, can we?); **Yamashita** (I am imagining the consequences of marrying Kagome to Kouga right now, and they are not fun, not fun at all…. And I can't put into words how good it makes me feel to hear you say that you'll wait as long as it takes for me to update. *bows* Thank you.); **kame Hime**; **kmf** (Thank you for being so understanding about how long it can take to produce quality stuff [depending on what one's concept of 'quality' is…].); **Angelstars**; **Tori** (*o* You are so NICE! Eeeeeeee! I would love to write something and actually have it published; it's a dream of mine actually. Thank you so much for reviewing and telling me what you think of this. It's a joy to hear such wonderful, complimentary things. Thank you, thank you, thank you! And, by the way, a spiel is "A lengthy, usually extravagant speech or argument intended to persuade." Not exactly what my little notes are, but close enough for me!); **ArtemisMoon** (^^;; So enthusiastic! I'm sorry I can't really update SOON SOON SOON SOON SOON, but that's the way the cookie crumbles I guess. Thanks for sticking with it, though!); **Miaka Kiri** (Inuyasha isn't really the one doing the rescuing, is he…? ^^;); **sara**; **animegurl** (Ah, one of the few souls who actually roots for Kagome and Kouga! I actually like that couple, too, for some odd reason. Maybe I'll write a one-shot about them or something…. But anyway! I don't think it's right that Kagome would have to _learn_ to like Kouga. I completely believe in following one's heart, and Kagome is doing just that. Her heart is telling her that Inuyasha is someone very special, more special than Kouga, so…yeah.); **kleptomaniac sam** (Oh dear, don't drown on your tea! ^^;;); **Silver Eyes Bright** (I'm glad you're able to follow the story with ease. I try not to get too complicated, though perhaps sometimes I don't quite succeed…. Yes, cliffhangers do drive readers crazy, which is exactly the reason authors put them in. ^_~ Thanks for reading!); **Nana** (FINALLY I update, like a week after I say I'm gonna…. It's the schoolwork, Nana-chan! [And the horrid procrastination…! _]); **Crystal Twilight** (I'm glad to hear you say I portray Kouga well, because I don't know a whole lot about him, considering I've only seen a few episodes of the anime that feature him, and the fact that he has yet to appear in the translated manga….); **Geminidragon**; **Cutie Blossom**; **Anon.**; **Kururi** (Oh, no, don't bow down…my modesty will kill me….); **mousas** (Sorry if Kouga looks a bit dumb. He's not the male lead, so he can't be really super great, you know? As for the wolves welcoming her, well, they are wolf demons that feast on humans, and the son of their leader has brought home a human girl to be his wife. And a priestess at that, who is supposed to be an enemy of demons! I wouldn't be welcoming to Kagome if I were a member of that wolf tribe, lemme tell ya.); **GroveWolf**

Oh, you guys, all of you have been so sweet and kind in your reviews, and I reward you by taking an eternity to update. I really am so totally sorry, from the bottom of my heart. It's just hard to get it together sometimes. With schoolwork and other things piling up, I just get burned out. I try, but I don't think that's enough. I really do feel bad about the long times between chapters, but there's not a lot I can do to change that, and I'm sorry.

I'd appreciate it if you leave a review and tell me what you think of this chapter, or what you think about whatever. Thanks for reading, thank you a million times.

—Kei


	9. Divided by Combat

**Disclaimer:** I do not claim ownership of _Inuyasha: Sengoku o-Togi Zoushi_. I am borrowing it for entertainment purposes only. No money is being made from the writing or reading of this story. Only original characters and situations belong to me.

**I Want Tomorrow**

©2001-2004 by Kei

**IX – Divided by Combat**

"Kagome!" Shippô exclaimed when the young woman carrying Inuyasha arrived in the small grove where the _hanyou_ and the _kitsune_ cub had made camp.

          "Shh, shh," Kagome hushed him amiably. "Inuyasha needs to rest, so we need to be quiet, understand?"

          Shippô nodded mutely, watching worriedly as Kagome gently laid the unconscious Inuyasha out on the cool green grass. She wrenched the annoying _tsuno-kakushi_ from her head, throwing it aside along with all the pins and ornaments that had fastened her hair up. Then she divested herself of the bloodstained _shiro-maku_ kimono and quickly threw on an extra set of her regular garments she had packed in her traveling satchel.

          At last she knelt down beside Inuyasha and began tearing the unsoiled areas of the white wedding kimono into strips she planned on using to bind the grievous wounds the _hanyou_ had incurred. She slowly extended her hands to grip the material of his kimono and tear it away so she would be allowed easier access to his wounds.

          However, before her fingertips could even graze the surface of the blood-stiffened cloth, the half-demon's eyes fluttered open and caught Kagome's. The priestess reared back in surprise, one hand flying up to cover her gaping mouth.

          While Inuyasha grunted and grimaced and cursed as he pushed himself up on his elbows, Kagome recovered herself and said, "You're injured, Inuyasha, and you should rest. Let me take care of you."

          "I'm fine, Kagome," he spat, swiping at the blood dribbling from his fanged mouth. "I heal a lot faster than you humans do. That stupid wolf barely scratched me."

          "Barely scratched you?" Kagome exclaimed, exasperated at his nonchalance. "He— and you were— I was— it didn't—" She sputtered on in disbelief for a moment until she felt the tears creeping from the corners of her eyes and rolling down her flushed cheeks. She blinked, taken aback by her own sudden, unbidden display.

          "You stupid dog," she mumbled, turning away from the wounded half-demon and wiping her wet eyes. To her frustration, the tears would not cease. Shippô cautiously crawled into her lap, reaching up his short arms to brush her tears away. She smiled gratefully at the cub, but prevented any further intercession by cuddling him close to her chest, inside which her heart pounded like a drum. Inuyasha said nothing, only clambered up the nearest large tree and settled himself on a thick bough to spend the night.

          When at last all the saltwater in her eyes seemed spent, Kagome laid out her bedroll, curled up with Shippô, and fell asleep before she could miss the soft wolf fur in Kouga's cave.

Kagome was a child. Though she couldn't see herself in a mirror, she could feel the shortness of her limbs, and the awkwardness of her carriage. Looking down she saw small, dirty hands and a rumpled blue kimono stained by dirt and carrying stray blades of grass. Farther down she saw the little feet in _geta_ sandals standing in an expanding pool of blood deriving from the destroyed corpse of her father. His innards were torn out and scattered around his broken form. Shattered bones poked through burnt flesh. Limbs had been rent from torso.

          "Papa," Kagome whispered, her childhood terror undiminished by ten years since this trauma.

          "Kagome."

          She screamed. The voice had come from the sundered gullet of her father's body. The bloody lips hadn't moved, but still his voice issued forth, carrying across the planes of existence to reach her in her dream.

          "You are…not the only one…."

          Shuddering involuntarily, Kagome stammered, "I-I don't under-understand…."

          "There was—_is_—another…."

          "Papa, please, you—"

          "You will find the truth, daughter."

          She could feel the edges of the dreamscape dissolving in her mind. "No! Papa, wait!"

          "But even with that knowledge, you still have a long journey…."

          "Ah, no—!"

She bolted upright, jostling Shippô, who rolled over with a whine before drifting into slumber again. Kagome's chest heaved and sweat trickled down her face. The night breeze chilled her perspiring body. She couldn't discern tears of anguish from her sweat. It was all saltwater when it reached her lips.

          "The truth," she murmured, her voice breaking. She realized that she still didn't know the whole truth Inuyasha had withheld from her. Kikyou, her self-professed evil twin, and her relationship with Inuyasha remained unknown to Kagome.

          'I don't know if I can wait until morning to find out,' Kagome thought, lifting her gaze to the bough upon which Inuyasha had settled for the night. She blinked when she saw the space no longer occupied.

          "What's wrong with you?" Inuyasha's gruff voice demanded from the shadows. Kagome willed her thundering heart to slow its pace before carefully extracting herself from the covers and making her way over to the _hanyou_ so they could talk privately without disturbing Shippô.

          "I had an unsettling dream," she told him, not meeting his topaz gaze, so sharp and unforgiving in the cold moonlight, even when the rest of him was concealed in shadows.

          "Tell me." Not a request, an order.

          "No," Kagome shot back. "You tell me. About Kikyou. I'm finished stumbling blindly through the dark. I've gone through a lot since you asked me to come with you, and I deserve an explanation."

          "Fine," he said. "Three years ago I met Kikyou and thought I was in love with her. She lured me into her web and trapped me in a gruesome castle where she kept lots of youths to satisfy her revolting pleasures. I was completely hypnotized by her. Only a little before I met you was I able to think for myself again. I left when I could."

          Kagome was not appeased. Inuyasha's words told only his story, not Kikyou's.

          "But who is Kikyou? Or what is she?" Kagome queried.

          "I thought she was a _miko_, like you, when I first met her. But after the time as her slave, I think maybe she's a demon of some kind, masquerading as a human," he answered.

          "Why does she look like me, though? Why does she target me with horrid visions? Why did you even ask me to accompany you in the first place?" She was ranting now, oblivious with frustration and exhaustion. "Why did I agree? Why am I asking you? You don't know! You're just a stupid demon! And I'm an even stupider girl!"

          "Shut up, Kagome!" Inuyasha yelled at her, shaking her violently by her shoulders. She gazed at him with wide, wet eyes.

          "I've been living the past decade in a nightmare," she said, her voice hollow, her eyes seeing but not comprehending. "And it's not over. My path is still long and winding before me…." Then she crumpled forward into his chest. He hefted her into his arms and replaced her on her sleeping mat beside Shippô. Looking down at her sleeping figure, Inuyasha said, "You're wrong, Kagome. The end is very, very near."

Kagome rubbed her bleary eyes and slowly sat up. All the events of the previous day came flooding back and she winced involuntarily at the recollection. Saying the day had been an ordeal was certainly an understatement. She hoped Inuyasha wouldn't bring up last night's embarrassing conversation. Kagome wished she'd had more control and not made such an outburst about nothing in particular.

          'He must think I'm losing my mind,' Kagome thought of Inuyasha, who had disappeared. She sensed his energy in the woods, presumably hunting up some breakfast. He returned a few moments later with a rabbit, which he quickly skinned and speared on a sharp stick. Kagome quickly prepared a fire, woke Shippô while the meat was roasting, and then the trio had a silent breakfast.

          "Are you better this morning, Kagome?" Shippô inquired anxiously once they had finished eating. His jade eyes were large and glistening with worry about the girl, his favorite person in the entire world, and the closest thing to a mother he felt he had.

          "I am, Shippô, thank you for asking," she lied, smiling warmly at him as she rifled through her pack to make sure everything was still there. Then she hefted it onto her shoulders along with her bow and quiver, welcomed the diminutive fox demon as a passenger in her arms, and followed Inuyasha out of the grove.

          As they walked, nobody spoke, and Kagome turned her thoughts to the nightmare about her father.

          'I am not the only one? The only one what? Well, I suppose I should first figure out what exactly I am…. A girl? Probably not. It goes without saying that I'm not the only female in the world. A _miko_? The same goes for that. Um, companion of Inuyasha? No, because Shippô is also. A traveler? No, everyone travels. Daughter of Higurashi no Hirofumi and Saeko? Not that, either, because there's also Kaede. That immediately eliminates being granddaughter of Grandpa, too. I can't really think of anything else. The only other thing I am is Kagome, and I will always be the only Kagome. There is no other me.'

          "Kagome," Shippô whispered in a quavering voice. "It smells strange. I don't like it."

          Kagome, not possessing the same sense of smell as her companions, chose instead to examine the area with her power. All she felt was an odd, disconcerting deadness about the place. Not even the tiniest insects buzzed around in the section of forest they had entered. All the plant life looked healthy enough for the season, but there was no animal activity to be detected.

          "It'll be okay," she told her friend, though she knew the reassurance to be hollow. She continued to follow Inuyasha, praying the unpleasant sensation of the landscape would soon evanesce.

          Suddenly the trees began changing. The tough brown bark started crisping, as though burnt, into black, sooty material. The tree limbs lost their leaves and turned into gnarled skeletons. Shippô cowered and hid his face in Kagome's hair.

          The grass thinned and vanished as they moved farther forward. The soil was black, not littered by rocks or plants of any kind. It was just the tall, black tree corpses growing out of the dead, black soil. In the distance an ominous structure started emerging into their view. It was unlike anything Kagome had seen before. Constructed entirely of black stones, it rose into the cloudy sky with crumbling turrets and tumbledown battlements. Mysterious fog encircled the building's perimeter, and the entrance was closed by an iron gate that stabbed the ground when closed. Kagome had only heard about edifices like this, built in Western lands by white-skinned barbarians. No true Japanese castle looked like this architectural horror.

          'It's wholly unnatural,' Kagome thought, shuddering involuntarily. 'Why have we come here? Don't tell me Inuyasha's parents dwell in this…place….'

          "Come," Inuyasha ordered gruffly, storming onward. Kagome didn't know what else to do but follow. She knew Inuyasha wouldn't lead them into any real danger.

          The dog demon stopped right in front of the menacing, rusty iron gate. He said nothing, simply stood before it, but it lifted to admit him. Kagome scurried into the courtyard behind him, jumping when the knife-points of the gate crashed into the ground, trapping the three inside the rock walls.

          "Inuyasha, what—," Kagome tried to say, but was rendered into stunned silence when he whirled around to face her, his eyes devoid of emotion, and snapped, "Shut up."

          "Don't talk to Kagome like that!" Shippô exclaimed, still burrowed into Kagome's jet mane. His voice shook with fear.

          Inuyasha started laughing, then. Kagome's blood seemed to freeze in her veins when she heard the ugly sound. It wasn't natural. It was wicked.

          Suddenly, another laugh joined his, growing louder as his diminished into noiselessness. Kagome watched as Inuyasha's eyelids shuttered and his shoulders slumped down. He looked asleep on his feet, but Kagome knew he was not slumbering.

          The second laughter had floated eerily from within a dark, open doorway several strides from where the trio was. It grew louder as its owner slithered closer to the exit and finally appeared. Kagome felt like she was in one of her nightmares, but knew what she saw was absolute reality.

          "Welcome, twin. I've been waiting a long time for you," Kikyou said, a bloodthirsty grin on her face.

          "What have you done to Inuyasha?" Kagome finally managed to choke out, her hands clenching into fists.

          "Dear Kagome, I've done nothing," Kikyou replied nonchalantly. "He came to me willingly. That he became entangled in this master puppeteer's strings is not my fault."

          "Who are you, really? What do you want with me?" Kagome demanded.

          "Now, now, sister, you'll not the one asking questions here," Kikyou told her, sharpened steel underlying her coolly spoken woods.

          Kagome glared at the other woman, but said nothing. Perhaps if she didn't speak, Kikyou would tell her what she wanted to know.

          "Let us engage in a little game, shall we?" Kikyou inquired chirpily. She slunk over Inuyasha's drooping figure and draped her thin arms over his shoulders, fingering his white hair and slowly rubbing her body against his. Kagome's stomach wrenched at the obscene spectacle.

          "I will ask you three questions, and if you answer at least two correctly, I'll let you go free. Mind you, I will keep my beastly little toy Inuyasha, but you and the cub will be released," Kikyou explained. "However, if you fail to answer two or more inquires correctly, you will not leave here alive."

          Thunder boomed in the distance, and Kikyou chuckled. "A storm, how fitting!" She seemed almost elated in her own dark way.

          "Now," she said seriously, stepping away from the listless Inuyasha. "First question: How many siblings do you have, Kagome?"

          "Two," she answered firmly.

          Kikyou clucked her tongue mockingly. "Wrong. Next question: Who murdered your father?"

          Kagome's eyebrows furrowed in anger and confusion. Her only siblings were Sôta and Kaede; she knew that for certain. How dare Kikyou tell her that she had given an incorrect answer?

          "A rampaging demon murdered my father," Kagome replied. Kikyou's smile chilled her to the bone.

          "You are an ignorant child," Kikyou said patronizingly. "There is no point in my asking another question, for you have already given two wrong answers. As I promised, you'll not leave here alive."

          "What do you mean? Speak clearly for once!" Kagome shouted over another bellow of thunder.

          "It means that my _hanyou_ puppet is going to kill you now," Kikyou said simply, and Inuyasha's eyes shot open. The gold color was completely gone, and his eyes were like bottomless pools of inky black darkness. He bared flesh-tearing fangs at Kagome and brandished his claws before him. Kikyou merely stepped away to give the dog demon space to mangle Kagome and Shippô.

          When Inuyasha lunged, Kagome shrieked and dove out of the way at the last moment. She and Shippô thudded painfully to the ground. Kagome ordered, "Shippô, go and conceal yourself with my pack somewhere. Kikyou wants me, not you. I will fight Inuyasha, and I don't want to risk you getting injured."

          Shippô didn't question her, but grabbed her pack and slid with it off her arms before scampering to a corner of the courtyard and watching fearfully as Kagome and Inuyasha faced each other under a brutal sky.

          A band of lightning flashed brilliantly before the heavens opened up and rain started pouring down. Kagome could hardly see for the sheets of rain surrounding her. Only the tiniest whoosh of air in front of her signaled Inuyasha's deadly swipe of claws. Kagome reared back just in time and stumbled backward in the squishy mud. She didn't want to hurt Inuyasha by taking the offensive, but this weak defense wouldn't preserve her life for long.

          When he came at her again, she flung a small, crackling ball of energy at his chest, hitting him squarely and knocking him on his rear. Her power was rather weak, for Kagome was malnourished and sleep-deprived. Even the insignificant exertion of forming the sphere depleted a lot of her energy.

          Out of the corner of her eye, Kagome saw Kikyou's hand pressed against her chest on the spot identical to the point on Inuyasha's torso where Kagome's attack had exploded. Before the priestess had time to contemplate the action, however, Inuyasha was yelling unintelligibly over the crashing of the storm. Then Kagome felt the same power patterns as she had when she first saw Inuyasha in battle back at the Higurashi shrine. It was the Soul Shattering Iron Claw, whipping through the air straight at her.

          Shrieking, Kagome held her crossed arms up in front of her face and threw herself into a crouch. The shining blades flew deadly above her head and demolished part of the wall behind her. Kagome thrust one hand out and guided a bolt of energy toward the dirt at Inuyasha's feet. He was forced to leap backward to avoid the blast, giving Kagome a tiny window of opportunity to glance at Kikyou. The woman was making curious motions with her hands, movements that mirrored Inuyasha's, though on a smaller scale. Kagome realized what exactly was happening.

          "It's you!" she burst out, rising abruptly to her feet, momentarily forgetting about everything else around her. "You're controlling him!"

          Kikyou threw her head back and laughed uproariously. "It's taken you that long to figure it out, Kagome? You're such a fool, sister! That pitiable half-breed is my puppet! All his love, kindness, concern—a fraud! Only through my machinations did he act so. Sooth, the dog cares for no one, you least of all!"

          The truth was more painful than Kagome expected. She had fallen in love with a lie. She didn't know the real Inuyasha at all, and this entire journey, taking her away from home and into the dangerous unknown, had been for naught.

          "KAGOME!" Shippô screamed, but Kagome was too late to protect herself as she spun around to meet Inuyasha's talons. Four gashes ripped her middle open and blood spurted over Kagome and Inuyasha. Kagome's bottom jaw dropped in excruciating pain, and she fell to her knees. Inuyasha stood over her as she wavered and collapsed backward into the mud. Her bowstring and the strap of her quiver had also fallen victim to Inuyasha's claws, and fell uselessly to the ground near Kagome. Above her, the _hanyou_'s face remained expressionless and his eyes like endless unlit tunnels.

          Raindrops splashed into Kagome's open mouth, her wide-open eyes, her slashed belly. She couldn't speak, could hardly think. She felt so foolish not to have seen it all along, and to have dropped her guard long enough for Inuyasha to kill her. She wasn't dead yet, but knew she soon would be.

          Kikyou strolled over and knelt in the mud beside Kagome's head. An odd glow of what appeared to be regret shimmered in her eyes, but faded as soon as it had formed. Now she was blank, staring deep into Kagome's bloodshot eyes.

          "I really am your twin, Kagome," Kikyou said seriously. "I was born just several breaths before you. Your mother and father were walking together in the woods when you and I began to be born. As soon as I emerged from the womb, as soon as I inhaled for the first time, a demonic force entered me. Your father was quite a perceptive man, and a powerful spiritualist. He saw the demon right away and hid me from your mother, telling her the first child had died. In reality, he threw me in the river, thinking I would drown. But the power in me wasn't ready to die just yet, and so I floated far, far away while you grew up blissfully ignorant.

          "The force took over my entire body, until it _became_ me, Kagome. I am the demon, it is me. I sent the demon to kill your father ten years ago, as revenge for the life he stole from me. I bided my time before I went after you, to take away that beautiful life. When Inuyasha started growing restless, I pretended to lose power over him, letting the little idiot think all his actions were done with free will. But I have been behind everything. I tricked him, and I tricked you. It has been a wonderful game, Kagome, and I thank you for playing. Now, however, I believe it is time for you to die. It is quite a lovely thing, watching your life ebb away as your blood leaks out."

          Kikyou relaxed then, content to watch the crimson liquid escape the confines of Kagome's flesh. What the demon woman didn't see was Kagome's pale, outstretched fingers closing around the shaft of an arrow that had fallen close by. Though it pained her to do so, Kagome raised her arm and plunged the glinting arrowhead into Kikyou's throat. The evil woman burbled incoherently, lifting already deadening hands to scratch at the shaft protruding from her neck. Blood trickled down from the fatal wound and mingled with the blood in Kagome's slashed abdomen.

          "You shouldn't have underestimated me," Kagome panted, very slowly pushing herself into a kneeling position. "My father was a powerful spiritualist, and he passed all of his gifts on to me, Kikyou. No matter that we were born from the same womb, _you are not, and have never been, my sister._"

          Kikyou's body crumpled into a pathetic ball, and steaming black mist smoked over it for a moment before being washed away by the lessening rain. Kagome looked blankly at the corpse for a minute and then turned to look at Inuyasha, who presumably would be freed from Kikyou's power after her death. His eyes were like jewels again, and his face held an extremely confused expression.

          "Kagome?" he murmured. "What the hell's happened?"

=====

_NOTES:_

I'm not gonna do individual thanks with this update, 'cause it's been over a year since I last updated, and thus quite a while since some readers were kind enough to review. All your comments mean so much to me, and rereading them just, I dunno, is wonderful, truly wonderful. I don't know why it's taken me so long with this one. I sat down today and churned it out, just kept going and going, rather like the Energizer Bunny. Why I wasn't able to do that eleven months ago is beyond me. For my returning readers, all my gratitude for sticking with this thing, despite how hella long it takes me to write it. For new readers, thanks for giving this story a chance.

Until next time, then? I hope so. Thank you again.

—Kei


	10. Welcome Home

**Disclaimer:** The series _Inuyasha: Sengoku o-Togi Zoushi_ and its characters, events, situations, and locales **_do not _**belong to me in any way, shape, or form. This is a work of fanfiction and was written for entertainment purposes only. No profits are made from the writing or reading of this story. Only original characters and situations are © copyrighted by me.

**I Want Tomorrow**

©2004 by Kei

**X – Welcome Home**

Kagome hadn't had time before to truly absorb, register, and contemplate Kikyou's words, but now the revelation from her evil twin seeped into her mind, poisoning her thoughts, polluting and dissolving her consciousness like a virulent toxin. She stared into Inuyasha's bewildered topaz eyes, not speaking as she knelt in the mud, in the abating rain.

          _"You're such a fool, sister! That pitiable half-breed was my puppet! All his love, kindness, concern—a fraud! Only through my machinations did he act so. Sooth, the dog cares for no one, you least of all!_"

          After that, only Kikyou's cruel, foul cackling rang in Kagome's head. But she understood now why Kikyou had laughed at her. She _was_ a fool! She_ was_! She had actually believed in Inuyasha's feelings for her, though they had spent little more than a week in each other's company.

          She realized now how idiotic it sounded, and she laughed. It caused even more blood to leak from the four deep gashes on her abdomen, but she didn't care: she hardly felt it. She crossed her arms over her middle, gripping her aching sides as she laughed harder. Tears coursed cool and quick down her flushed cheeks, and she continued laughing.

          Shippô and the rather befuddled Inuyasha could do no more than stand back and watch Kagome. She was the picture of madness, down on her knees in the middle of the wet, muddy courtyard, with her head thrown back and her red mouth wide open as she emitted high, choked, haunting giggles. Her eyes stared straight up at the sky as tears poured torrentially from the empty silver-blue orbs.

          Clutching her sides even tighter, Kagome slowly bent forward at the waist, still laughing. When the pain in her stomach blinded her and more blood gushed from her wounds, spilling in profusion over her arms and legs, Kagome lost her awareness utterly; she went numb in mind, body, and soul. She was awake, but not cognizant at all. She did not notice when her laughs transformed into agonized, wracking sobs; nor did she feel it when her forehead touched the murky, swampy soil between her knees and her sweat- and rain-matted hair fell in a tangled black curtain around her florid face.

          When oblivion came to the threshold of her mind, she lovingly embraced it, begging it to stay with her there forever.

}{ }{ }{ }{ }{

After Kagome lost consciousness, Shippô darted over and started beating furiously on Inuyasha's legs, wailing at the _hanyou_ and demanding to know what he'd done to Kagome. Inuyasha ignored the emotional _kitsune_ pummeling him and tried to puzzle out what exactly had occurred between now and the moment he had left this wretched castle a few days before. It was like viewing someone else's memories, for he felt completely detached from everything he'd said and done. He had thought he was in control, but Kikyou had been the one commanding all his actions.

          He looked down at Kagome's lifeless figure. She had been a kind, caring companion for him, and the entire time he had been leading her to her doom. He could barely withstand the horrid guilt swelling inside him. That lovely girl, possessing a will matching his own, had fought her twin sister and nearly died for it.

          'Because I mighta already killed her,' he thought, bending down and grasping her pallid hand in his. Blood pumped weakly through her veins; he felt the faint throb of her heartbeat in her fingertips.

          Very slowly and carefully, Inuyasha gathered Kagome into his arms, treating her as delicately as if she were made of glass.

          "Stop beatin' me, ya brainless whelp, and come on!" he barked at Shippô, who immediately collected Kagome's pack, bow, and quiver before clambering up and nestling on Inuyasha's shoulder, from where he gazed fretfully down at Kagome's mud-splattered face.

          His passengers, as it were, secure, Inuyasha leaped agilely over the courtyard walls. On the other side, he sniffed the air to get a sense of the direction he wanted. Then he took off, soaring over the treetops, startling flocks of birds into flight. He hoped Kagome lasted long enough for them to reach his true home, where a healer could look after her.

          After an hour of such swift traveling, he stopped in front of a tremendous fortress, the home of his father. Guards at the front gate moved to bar his way, but when they recognized him as the young Lord Inuyasha, they scurried about frantically to admit him. He dashed to the building he remembered as being the healer's quarters, kicking in the frail door and ordering the surprised old woman to see to the wounded, half-dead creature in his arms.

          The healer, for all that Inuyasha's abrupt appearance had startled her, was a spry old lady, and she directed him to leave her to her work until he was summoned. It would do no good, she told him, for him to putter about aimlessly, worrying over Kagome and getting in the way as the crone did her best to tend the unconscious girl. Shippô remained silent the entire time, not arguing when Inuyasha stormed from the healer's room with the _kitsune_ still on his shoulder. Shippô had deposited Kagome's belongings into the healer's care as well.

          "My darling boy!" a woman's mellifluous voice exclaimed from across the way. Inuyasha looked up to see his mother scuttling forward, daintily lifting the front of her kimono to allow her legs slightly more room to run. Her ladies-in-waiting clucked like hens at each other and did their best to keep up with their Lady Machi.

          "Oh, they told me you had returned! I knew you would!" Lady Machi rejoiced, flinging her arms about her son without reserve. Inuyasha hugged her back fiercely, realizing how much he had missed his fragilely human, loving mother. She kissed and embraced him for fully five minutes, ignoring the dampness and dirt his kimono transferred to hers. She cuddled Shippô and congratulated him on what a brave child he had been, already winning his affection for all time.

          "I am certain Shippô will get on famously with Rin," Lady Machi said fondly, setting Shippô back on Inuyasha's shoulder.

          "Who's Rin?" Shippô inquired suspiciously.

          "Sesshômaru's close companion," Lady Machi explained.

          "Who's Sesshômaru?" Shippô asked.

          "My Inuyasha's older brother," Lady Machi answered simply.

          "Half-brother," Inuyasha corrected gruffly, frowning deeply at the thought of his father's firstborn.

          "I'm afraid they don't get along well," Lady Machi whispered conspiratorially to Shippô. "Very intense sibling rivalry, you see."

          "Ah," Shippô said, nodding sagely.

          "I _can_ hear ya, Mother," Inuyasha interjected sulkily. Lady Machi giggled quietly behind one pale, delicate hand. All of a sudden her visage cleared, her mirth replaced with soft relief. Inuyasha knew that, for all the glee his mother displayed at his return, inside she had been twisted in knots for years, worried for her beloved only child.

          "Come, I am sure your honorable father will be pleased to see you," Lady Machi told him, her faint smile just the merest whisper of her bottomless love and affection for her husband. She turned and began walking back inside the main building, hurriedly followed by her chattering ladies-in-waiting.

          "Is Kagome all right?" Shippô asked suddenly, his grip tightening anxiously on Inuyasha's kimono.

          Inuyasha gazed expressionlessly at the small structure of the healer's quarters in which Kagome lay still as dead.

          "I dunno," he muttered, stalking after his mother's gaggle of ladies.

          His father's home was as he remembered it: clean, quiet, and orderly. No décor cluttered any of the structure; no prized possessions were displayed. It wasn't long before the group arrived at the space in which knelt, on a large silk pillow on a low platform, the demon Lord Kin, Inuyasha's father. Also present were Sesshômaru, his flunky Jaken, and his orphan companion Rin. Jaken was chasing Rin around, screeching unintelligibly for her to return the ugly brown cap he wore to conceal his premature baldness and his oddly-shaped head. Several retainers also stood at attention, silent and staid, but they could not prevent their eyes from rolling towards the doorway to spy the _hanyou_.

          Sesshômaru, not bothering to lift an eye from his meditative posture, snorted. "The half-breed returns. The keep rejoices. My regrets that I'll not be able to attend the accompanying festivities."

          "Why, ya—," Inuyasha growled, stepping forward with his fists clenched and his fangs bared.

          "Enough," Lord Kin ordered, his voice deep and resonant. That single word contained impossible power, for its speaker was the most powerful demon in the western lands. His domain covered thousands of square miles.

          "I would speak with the second son alone," Lord Kin stated. Immediately the retainers filed out, followed by Lady Machi's troop of women. Lady Machi beckoned Rin over to meet Shippô, who had prudently abandoned Inuyasha's shoulder to stand by the lord's wife. Rin abandoned Jaken's cap and rushed over to meet the _kitsune_; Lady Machi guided them off. Sesshômaru slunk out last, miserable Jaken in his wake.

          When at last all the company had vanished, Inuyasha approached his sire. Lord Kin was rather young by demon standards, but took pains for his human guise to appear middle-aged. His soft white hair was bound back in a severe ponytail at his nape, with more ties down its length at measured intervals to prevent the mane's interference with his movements. His face was grave, with a strong chin, high cheekbones, and a smooth, broad forehead. On each cheek were three blood-red slashes denoting his demon nature. He wore plain, dark colors, but could never be mistaken for a commoner. He was very tall, with large bones that gave him a wide frame and bespoke awesome strength. The claws extending from his big yet slender hands were half again as long as the fingers from which they grew.

          Inuyasha bowed slightly from the waist before Lord Kin, then wordlessly knelt and looked blankly ahead. He didn't know what to expect from his father. Being so distantly referred to as "the second son" had rather put him out.

          "It has been a long time since I last saw you, Inuyasha," Lord Kin said. "I have not seen my wife truly smile for the duration of your absence. I am inclined to confine you to the castle for a matching length of time, as retribution. However, I would hear your account of the crime before I mete out the punishment."

          Grunting his assent, Inuyasha gave his father a slight nod in acknowledgement of Lord Kin's magnanimity. He inhaled deeply and told his story. He adhered strictly to the facts, even when telling of his humiliating defeat at the hands of Kouga, the wolf demon. His story ended with the mention of taking Kagome to the healer's hut.

          "Your defensive skills of both your body and your mind are appallingly poor," Lord Kin remarked. "You will work and train diligently to improve while the woman is recovering. However, such sessions will take place only when your honorable mother does not wish your presence. If she wants you with her at all hours of the day, it will happen. Do I make myself clear?"

          Inuyasha nodded, his face expressionless. He didn't like hearing his father's criticism, or being reminded of his mother's heartsickness and how he must be the one to ease it, for he was the one who had caused it.

          "Good."

          For a moment, there was absolute silence and motionlessness. Then Lord Kin spoke again.

          "Inuyasha, I am not given to…emotional displays. You know this. Yet when you were gone, I noticed. Not because my wife was beside herself with sorrow, as you might think, but simply because of myself." The demon lord sighed deeply. "To overcome one's pride is ludicrously difficult," he murmured, seemingly to himself. He pierced Inuyasha's gold gaze with his own and continued, "You are not merely the child of my beloved wife. I came to the realization that you are my son. Perhaps you despise being half-human and half-demon, but the human half is what endears you."

          Inuyasha looked down at his hands lying on his thighs and blinked in surprise. His father _never_ spoke this way, but the admission nonetheless warmed his heart. Lord Kin had spent most of Inuyasha's childhood securing his lands and fortifying the borders, leaving Inuyasha with only his lady mother to look after him and teach him about life. Sesshômaru had been no refuge, reviling as he did his father's human wife and her halfling get.

          Even when Lord Kin did come home to the keep, most of his attention went to either the maintenance of the fortress or to his dear wife. Lady Machi tried her best to include their son, but Lord Kin seemed not to know what to do with the _hanyou_ cub. Inuyasha had always felt that his father considered him a nuisance, so he frequently went to play by himself, leaving his parents alone despite his mother's pleas for him to stay.

          However, Inuyasha could not share memories and feelings with his father. It was foolishness to become emotional that way.

          "Yer gettin' sentimental in yer old age, Dad," he said finally.

          Lord Kin smirked. "Dismissed. See you at dinner."

          "Yeah." Inuyasha stood up, executed another slight bow, and left the room to seek out his mother. He found her awaiting him in her garden at the back of the main house. She carried a parasol with her, and held it over both their heads as they strolled leisurely along the path among the vibrant blooms.

          "Shippô and Rin seem to be getting along quite well. They're both such chatterboxes that each one provides the other with excellent company," Lady Machi commented. "I'm glad she has someone her age to play with; I've always felt Sesshômaru and Jaken were not quite adequate to satisfy her liveliness. Still, though, I was deeply touched when Sesshômaru took Rin in. I would never have expected such a thing of him. I suppose I am rather jealous of her (silly of me, yes?), privately wishing Sesshômaru would accept me as he has done Rin."

          "Mother, I get the feelin' ya don't really wanna talk about Rin and her situation," Inuyasha interjected.

          "You're becoming less insensitive; I'm glad," she said. "You're also right. I don't really wish to do the talking at all. I want you to talk. About the girl you took to the healer. Tell me everything, my darling, every word, every action, every feeling. I don't want a military report, Inuyasha. Tell me the true story."

          Her earnest eyes and pleasant smile were a sight for Inuyasha's sore eyes. He smiled faintly down at his mother and honored her request. She interrupted often to ask questions, wanting more details, more description. He denied her nothing, suspecting his father did the same.

          "What a terrible ordeal you've been through," she said when his tale ended. "Oh, my baby!" She began to weep a bit. Inuyasha panicked. His father would have his head now for making Lady Machi cry!

          "It's hard when one realizes her child is growing up," she said breathily, dabbing at her eyes with one of her long sleeves. "Soon you'll be taking a wife and having children of your own," she went on.

          "Mother!" Inuyasha exclaimed, horrified. He also felt slightly embarrassed. "Whaddya mean? There's not even a-a girl or lady or anyone I'm _fond_ of, let alone who I'm gonna marry."

          "Oh." Lady Machi looked confused. "Well, I thought for certain the young priestess was your intended."

          Inuyasha felt his entire face flame bright red. "Why would ya think somethin' like that?" he yelped.

          Lady Machi looked down to hide her laughing smile. "I suppose the way you spoke of her and how the two of you interacted gave me fancies. Forgive me, my darling."

          "Sure, Mother." He masticated his lower lip for several moments, hesitant to say more. Then he swallowed hard and said, "I'm not sure what I feel about Kagome, Mother. Kikyou was just usin' me, and I dunno what was real and what wasn't. Until I can figure that out, I think it should be said that Kagome and I—well, that we don't even know one another."

          Lady Machi nodded her understanding. She gave her son an encouraging smile. "When she regains consciousness, I believe her period of recovery would be a perfect time for you to become acquainted. I look forward to meeting her."

}{ }{ }{ }{ }{

Dinner was a terse affair. Sesshômaru made subtly scathing replies to any statements from Lady Machi or Inuyasha. Every time Inuyasha was about to shout something ugly in return, Lady Machi placed a gentling hand on his arm and he would fall silent, fuming at his older half-brother's rudeness. He was further irritated by the fact that his lord father said nothing to bridle Sesshômaru's insolence, especially when it was directed towards Lady Machi.

          Inuyasha had devoured nearly everything before him when a messenger arrived from the healer to announce that Kagome had awakened and that Inuyasha and Shippô only might visit her. Without a word Inuyasha dashed from the table, Shippô trailing after and bellowing for the _hanyou_ to wait. With a growl of annoyance, Inuyasha turned back and grabbed the fox cub by the scruff to tote him along.

          The pair practically burst through the healer's door. Kagome was sitting upright on her pallet, blankets covering her legs, and another couple around her shoulders. Her entire torso up to her underarms was layered by thick white bandages, through which some blood still soaked. Her body and hair had been washed clean of all the grime collected since her last bath. Her black locks had been combed and tied back with a white ribbon. In her slim hands she held a steaming cup of tea, from which she occasionally sipped.

          "Kagome!" Shippô cried, running forward to leap upon her and shower her with affection. The healer intercepted him before he could reach his friend. He looked at her with tearful green eyes and a trembling lower jaw.

          "She is still extremely weak, little demon," the old woman said. "She doesn't need overeager foxes pouncing on her and carrying on so."

          "Can I at least sit next to her?" Shippô inquired in a quavering voice.

          "Yes," the healer said. "As may you, young master," she addressed Inuyasha. He snorted at her but took a seat at the foot of the pallet. Shippô posted himself as close to Kagome as he could without actually sitting on her. He stared up at her impassive face with large, wet eyes.

          "Will you be okay soon, Kagome?" Shippô questioned worriedly. "You can play with me again soon, right? I made a new friend today; her name is Rin. You'll like her a lot; she's kinda like Kaede, I think. We can have lots of fun exploring and stuff together, Kagome. Right, Kagome? Right?"

          Kagome hadn't even glanced down at the hopeful but apprehensive _kitsune_. She seemed focused only on the teacup in her hands. She seemed to be in her own little world, like her surroundings and the people in them didn't even register with her.

          "I suppose I should have mentioned," the healer spoke up with a cough, "she hasn't spoken one word since she awoke. I didn't even know her name until the young demon said it."

          "Kagome!" Shippô exclaimed even more passionately. "Please talk to me! _Please!_ Tell me you'll be okay! Say we can play again soon! Just say my name!" Tears started streaking hard and fast down his furry cheeks. "I need you, Kagome! _Please talk to me!_" He clenched his small, clawed fists in one of the blankets over her legs, sobbing his heart out.

          Apparently having drained her cup, Kagome held the empty container out to the hag, who went to refill it. Inuyasha observed her silently, waiting to see if the absence of her tea would make her notice the grieving cub at her side.

          "Did I do something wrong, Kagome?" Shippô keened. "Is that why you won't say anything? I'm sorry, Kagome! Please talk to me! You're all I have; please say something!" His entire body shook with the force of his sobs.

          At long last, the mute, injured girl seemed to see the brokenhearted child weeping violently into her blanket. Though her face remained expressionless, her thin arms slowly reached out to gather the cub into her embrace. Shippô flung his short arms around Kagome's neck, still crying, and she pressed him close, stroking his shaking back in comfort. She said nothing and showed nothing on her face. Inuyasha frowned deeply. Kagome was definitely acting strange. She had always been freely communicative before, unafraid to air her opinions or display her emotions. Now, though, she was like a doll, her face an immobile mask, her lips permanently closed, her voice nonexistent.

          When Shippô had quieted to the point of dozing in Kagome's arms, the priestess finally looked up and met Inuyasha's gold eyes. He saw no hint of recognition pass through her eyes; she might as well have been looking through him. Neither spoke. Inuyasha had decided to wait for her to say something first.

          At length, the healer returned with more tea for Kagome, and told the visitors they should go, and let Kagome have a good night's rest. She said they should return the next afternoon, by which Kagome would likely be able to be installed somewhere in the actual household, since she was the young master's guest.

          When the two left, Shippô extremely reluctant, Kagome still had not said a word.

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_NOTES:_

Thanks to **Hoshi-chan1** (Sorry ya had to wait such a long time….); **Inuyasha-loves-Kagome** (It was evil, wasn't it? Yes, Inuyasha was being controlled, like ya said. Though some thoughts and actions were his own, Kikyou was still behind the steering wheel, ya know?); **INUSKOI** (Well, I do really like the Inuyasha/Kagome couple a lot, but I don't have a problem seeing her paired romantically with another character. One of my short _Inuyasha_ stories involves a different pairing, even. You read this story to your friend over the phone? I am truly flabbergasted. Wow!); **eclipse-kagome** (I'm very pleased that you're so devoted to the story. I'll try not to do another year between updates….); **DemonInuyasha1** (You really think it's creepy? That's good. There are some parts that are definitely meant to be creepy.); **kmf** (The conclusion? To the first part, maybe. I've still got a bit of story to tell!)

Hello again, faithful readers! Four months later…. Well, it's better than twelve months, right? (I know, I'm grasping at straws.)

Well, the enemy, Demonic Kikyou, has been vanquished! Yaaay! However, that by no means signals the end of this story, not by far! The external conflict has ended for Kagome and Inuyasha, but now they must look to the internal. Inuyasha's gotta figure out his feelings for Kagome, and Kagome has to recover, 'cause she's obviously sick, if not in body then in mind. They may have arrived at their destination of Inuyasha's home, but their journey is not over.

Guys, it means a lot to me that you're sticking with this thing in spite of the long times between updates. I promise I will not take a year on any of the future chapters. I am really gonna try to get them out sooner, okay?

Thanks a lot, guys.

-Kei

PS: I only sent an update notification e-mail to the reviewers of Chapter 9 who _don't_ appear on the list of people who have me on Author Alert. Unless there's a problem, everyone else should be notified by ff-net when I update.


	11. Conceal and Reveal

**Disclaimer:** The series _Inuyasha: Sengoku o-Togi Zoushi_ and its characters, events, situations, and locales **_do not _**belong to me in any way, shape, or form. This is a work of fanfiction and was written for entertainment purposes only. No profits are made from the writing or reading of this story. Only original characters and situations are © copyrighted by me.

Warning: There is sexual content in this chapter. Please read at your own discretion.

****

I Want Tomorrow

©2004 by Kei

XI – Conceal and Reveal

Inuyasha spent the night fitfully. Shippô snoozed on a small pallet nearby, dead to the world and snoring for all he was worth.

The dog demon, however, lay on his back for hours and stared at the ceiling. Sometimes his head was empty, the sounds of the night drifting in through one pointed, white-furred ear and right out the other. More often, though, Kagome dominated his contemplation. He remembered the almost immediate fondness he'd developed for her upon first meeting her. She had accepted him right away, no questions asked, when so frequently in his life he'd been shunned for being a half-breed. He had always been too weak to run with demons or too wicked to live among humans. With Kagome, he had somehow been just right.

'But was me likin' her what I really felt?' he wondered. 'Or was that just Kikyou manipulatin' me?' He balled his hands into fists so hard that his claws punched holes in his palms.

"Dammit!" he hissed, shaking his slightly throbbing hands out and then jumping up. He shoved the window open and hopped onto the frame, balancing precariously between his dark room and the cool, silvery night. His eyes rolled up to look at the waning moon, scanned the black forests and shadowy hills beyond the keep, and then caught sight of a lone figure meandering across the courtyard. He poked his head farther outside and sniffed. It was her! He would have recognized that scent anywhere. Even when she was caked in mud and blood, she still radiated that sweet scent.

'What's she doin'?'

Without a second thought, Inuyasha launched himself from the second level of the building and landed lightly on the sandy soil below. The figure heard the thump of his feet and turned, silhouetted by the moonlight.

"What're ya doin' out here, Kagome?" he demanded, storming over to her. He saw her eyes regarding him without emotion, which irked him. Where was that emotive _miko_ he had met only several days ago?

"Ya shouldn't walk around alone at night; could get hurt, ya know," he told her forcefully, grabbing for her wrist so he could haul her back to the healer's cottage. She slipped out of his grasp like a wraith, turning her back on the half-demon and walking away.

"Hey!" he exclaimed, offended at her wordless slight. "I was talkin' to ya!" He darted after her, effectively blocking her path. When she attempted to sidestep him, he mirrored her, preventing her escape. Even when she tried to trick him by moving in the same direction twice, he still obstructed her path. His sharp canine senses could predict her move a split-second before she made it.

When she seemed to realize she could not evade him, she let out a barely audible sigh and met his amber gaze again. After a moment, she turned to the right and began walking again. Inuyasha gaped at her. How stubborn could the girl be?

Seeing he had not followed, Kagome stopped and craned her head around to look at him. He quirked a thick, black eyebrow at her and slowly sauntered up to her side. Then she took up her stroll once more, and he accompanied her. Obviously, she refused to abandon her late-night stroll, but, apparently realizing Inuyasha would not give up his pursuit, had resigned herself to his company.

She now wore a pale green cotton _yukata_ along with her regular socks and sandals. He noticed her hand constantly held against her flat abdomen where he had slashed her, as though only her palm's pressure would prevent the spillage her intestines. He furtively glanced at his blood-tipped claws, clearly reliving the moment when they had pierced her skin, sinking into it as easily as they would quicksand, and ripped four long, jagged gashes across the soft flesh. He shuddered at the grisly memory, hoping Kagome couldn't see the faint shiver.

Kagome paused every few minutes to examine trees or undergrowth, perhaps to familiarize herself with her new surroundings. Inuyasha wondered if she was using her priestess powers to communicate with the plant life. If so, what questions was she asking, and what answers were they giving? He would probably never know.

'What a strange girl,' he thought as she approached a koi pond. The fish were motionless at the bottom of their habitat, sleeping with open eyes. They still held interest for Kagome, though. She knelt at the edge of the small body of water and seemed to just stare into its depths. Inuyasha couldn't discern if her gaze was directed at the fish or at something else in the pool, something only her eyes could see. For the first time it entered Inuyasha's head that perhaps something injurious had happened to Kagome's mind in addition to the wounding of her body. She was still not speaking and treated Inuyasha like they knew each other by name only and nothing more. Even if Kagome had become mute, Inuyasha had been expecting some show of affection, or maybe relief that he was not hurt, when she regained consciousness. Instead she had initially acted numb towards both him and Shippô, only emerging from her shell when Shippô became too forlorn to ignore. Yet even then she had not acknowledged Inuyasha's presence.

On the other hand, though, she might be holding a fierce, foolish grudge against him for his actions. Inuyasha, upon having this thought, immediately decided that must be the case. Kagome could have her childish silence; Inuyasha could wait for her to speak first. He had nothing to apologize for; his mind had not been his own.

While Inuyasha had been deeply contemplating all this, Kagome had stood again and begun to walk off. He exclaimed and followed until he walked abreast with her. They trekked the perimeter of the grounds more than once, Kagome apparently absorbing her surroundings. She kept her own counsel, as did Inuyasha.

As deep purple-red tendrils began to unfurl across the eastern sky, prelude to dawn, the pair approached the healer's hut. Kagome entered without a word of gratitude or farewell to Inuyasha, who stood glaring on the porch for a while before nimbly leaping away from rooftop to rooftop until he reentered his chamber and lay on his pallet, ready for sleep.

_**((passage of time))((passage of time))((passage of time))**_

Inuyasha awoke after a seemingly short period of slumber and saw a familiar silhouette in front of the window.

"What're ya doin' here?" he inquired in a thick voice.

Without answering Kagome turned around and fluidly knelt beside Shipp's pallet. Her slender hand reached out and she gently shook him awake. The fox cub saw her, rubbed his sleepy eyes, and then grinned broadly at the girl before flinging his tiny body into her arms. She rose to a standing position, bowed politely at the puzzled Inuyasha, and exited.

After the short incident registered in his mind, Inuyasha hurriedly pulled on his kimono and loped after Kagome and Shippô. He arrived to find his mother and her ladies genially, curiously accosting the mute priestess as Shippô made the appropriate introductions.

"My dear girl," Lady Machi said sweetly, offering Kagome a warm smile. The girl bowed low in return, but said nothing.

"I cannot express how grateful I am to you for saving my son from such a horrific situation," Lady Machi told Kagome. "If there is any way in which this undeserving person may meagerly begin to repay her enormous debt to you, please say the word and it shall be done."

Kagome shook her head, dismissing the last statement. She bowed to Lady Machi again, more deeply than before. Shippô giggled as his stomach flipped from the up-and-down motion to which Kagome inadvertently subjected him by bending over so low with the cub still held firmly to her chest.

"Shippô, perhaps Kagome would enjoy meeting Rin this morning," Lady Machi suggested.

"Oh, yeah!" the _kitsune_ exclaimed. "I told you about Rin, Kagome, remember? You'll like her a lot, I know it! Where's Rin, Lady Machi?"

"I believe she is out on the practice field with Sesshômaru while he exercises," the noblewoman answered. "Shall I show you the way?"

"Yes, please, Lady Machi!" Shippô begged earnestly. Lady Machi chuckled behind the end of a sleeve.

"I'm so pleased Rin has a friend her age now," she commented as she led the large group out to the cleared plot of land that had been designated as the practice field. Troops trained there under the commanders, and skilled instructors had there schooled Lord Kin's sons in the ways of battle. Inuyasha could imagine his older brother going out there every single day and waving a sword about, slashing at nonexistent opponents, or perhaps testing his poison talons on Jaken. Sesshômaru wanted absolute, cold perfection, and would stop at nothing to obtain just that.

"Oh, son, I am so glad that you could join us," Lady Machi exclaimed when she noticed Inuyasha trailing awkwardly behind the entourage. "Won't you come and walk beside your mother?"

Inuyasha walked forward until he came abreast of his mother and Kagome. The priestess looked at him blankly and he felt a strange constriction in his chest. He realized he didn't like that look, that he had somehow come to expect something more passionate from this young woman.

At length Kagome was introduced to Rin, who liked her immediately. She did not for one second question the newcomer's strange silence and she asked Kagome if the priestess would play with her and Shippô, provided, of course, that they remain close to her beloved Lord Sesshômaru. As long as Kagome didn't protest the arrangement, Shippô was content as well, having the same sort of attachment to Kagome that Rin did to Sesshômaru.

Lady Machi left the assortment of young people to their own devices, kissing her son goodbye as she and her ladies went about their business. Rin, Shippô, and Kagome engaged in a lively game of hide-and-seek while Sesshômaru ignored their presence and Jaken served his lord's every whim. Inuyasha chose to perch in a tree to watch over Kagome. He admitted to himself that he felt responsible for her and wanted to see that she went unhurt.

After a time, Kagome and her two young playmates lay down on their backs on the grass, chests heaving as they got their wind back after a wild session of chase. They gazed up at the lazily drifting clouds, occasionally pointing out the familiar shapes found in this one or that one. Kagome still kept her own council, but the children didn't seem aware of her nonparticipation. They even included her in the conversation, directing rhetorical questions at her. "See that one, Kagome? Doesn't it look like a cat?" "Kagome, look at that one right there! Don't you think it's a crane?" "Isn't this fun, Kagome? Let's stay out here all day."

Inuyasha glanced covertly at his older brother every once in a while. When he saw Sesshômaru's narrow, gold eyes land on and stare at Kagome, he tensed. The older, armored dog demon deliberately strolled toward the sprawled-out trio, his manner casual and unhurried but his eyes cruel and calculating as he surveyed the prone, carefree Kagome.

As he drew nearer, Rin looked up and saw Sesshômaru. She squealed joyfully, jumped up, and ran over to him. He glanced cursorily at her and then focused once more on Kagome like she was prey for him to hunt.

Shippô also stood up, Kagome right behind him. She caught sight of the approaching demon with the predatory gleam in his eyes. Inuyasha saw her go rigid and he prepared to leap down and tackle his half-brother.

Before Inuyasha could blink, however, Sesshômaru's hand came up. The long, poisonous claws slashed across Kagome's cheek. Her mouth opened but no cry came out. Inuyasha bounded down, murder strong and bitter in his mouth. He interposed himself between the demon and the priestess, glaring daggers at Sesshômaru, who didn't look at Inuyasha at all. His gaze was still on Kagome, wicked laughter carving a sneer on his pointed features.

"See your whore, little brother, for what she truly is," Sesshômaru spoke at last, his voice condescending and malevolent as always. "I smelled it the moment you dragged her in. You're even more pathetic than I originally thought, whelp. You couldn't scent a demon right under your nose." He chuckled gutturally.

"What the hell're ya talkin' about?" Inuyasha demanded angrily.

"See for yourself," Sesshômaru replied silkily.

"Kagome," Shippô was whimpering as Inuyasha slowly turned around to see Kagome. She had turned the wounded side of her face away from him, holding a hand over her gashed cheek. Inuyasha grasped her shoulders and forcibly whirled her around. She didn't even struggle. She met his questioning topaz eyes directly and removed her hand from her cheek. She held her palm up for him to see the substance covering it as it covered her face.

"Black blood?" Inuyasha murmured in horror, his eyes flicking back and forth between her palm, her cheek, and her eyes.

"Your lauded priestess is a demon," Sesshômaru said with a smirk as Jaken snickered. Rin and Shippô could only watch the proceedings in wordless confusion and awe.

"It...can't be," Inuyasha said, suddenly unable to get any breath. "How..._how_?"

Kagome only stared at him, her blue-grey eyes suddenly shimmering with tears though the rest of her countenance did not shift to express her emotions. She blinked once and the four jagged wounds began to close up. Her muscles, blood, and flesh knitted together before Inuyasha's eyes, leaving only black spatters to evidence the injury. Then her hand dropped to her side and she walked away, presumably to wash. Shippô bade farewell to Rin and gave Inuyasha a fearful glance before rushing after Kagome.

By the time Inuyasha returned to his senses, he was alone. He couldn't wrap his head around the discovery. Kagome was a demon? But he'd seen her bleed red just two days ago! She was human then, he was certain. What had happened? How did a human–a priestess, for that matter–suddenly become demonic in two days?

"It's my fault," he said to himself. "Somehow, it's my fault. I know it."

Listlessly he went through the remainder of the day. He felt his parents' eyes on him at dinner, smelled his mother's anguish for him, but couldn't bring himself to reassure her. For three years his existence had been a lie, and now Kagome, who had been to him one shining beacon of truth, was the complete opposite of what he had first perceived her as.

Yet, he wasn't filled with loathing or disgust. After all, it wasn't her fault. She was still affectionate to Shippô, polite to others. And Inuyasha still felt something about her, _for_ her.

He lay down on his pallet that night with his thoughts in a turmoil. He was vaguely aware of Shipp's absence, but assumed the cub was spending the night with Rin or Kagome.

Inuyasha managed to succumb to a light doze, but the quiet rustle of the sliding door awoke him. He sniffed the air and bolted up. Kagome stood silhouetted by moonlight, carefully closing the door behind her. She faced him, a painful question in her eyes.

"I don't hate ya, Kagome," Inuyasha answered, tossing the blanket off and standing up. He slowly walked forward, cautious of startling her. She looked fragile as a doe.

"I know it's not yer fault, Kagome," he told her softly. "Hell, when I was a kid I always wanted ta be a demon. Hated bein' called a half-breed, hated the weakness and vulnerability of humans. But I saw the rage and heartlessness of a lotta demons, and all the love and kindness in my mom. It sorta changed my mind about my ambition." He coughed uneasily. "I know yer not one of those bad ones, Kagome. Yer still the girl playin' hide and seek with kids who love ya."

Suddenly Kagome's hand shot out. Inuyasha was about to rear back and defend himself, but her fingers contacted his face gently. She stroked the line of his jaw and cupped her hand around his cheek, her face tender. Inuyasha smile faintly in spite of himself. Seeing her solemn mask finally break brought him untold happiness.

She raked back his thick bangs and playfully fondled his pointy dog ears, which twitched at her touch. Inuyasha wrinkled his nose at Kagome. She stepped closer to him as she smoothed her hands down his long white hair. Her entire body was pressed against his, clouding his senses.

"Kagome, if ya don't stop," he muttered hoarsely, "I might not be able ta control myself. So ya'd better–"

He utterly lost all his mental faculties when her lips touched the place where his neck met his shoulders. He enveloped her in a crushing embrace, pressing her head against his chest and burying his face in her thick ebony hair. His lips seized hers in a searing, demanding kiss. He invaded her mouth with his tongue, furiously attacking hers. Kagome's hands scrambled up Inuyasha's back and clutched his shoulders tightly, her nails digging into the material of his kimono. She tore her mouth from his for just a moment before assaulting him with renewed ardor. She bit his lower lip until she drew blood and a throaty moan from Inuyasha. His eyes glazed over as he started tearing viciously at her clothes, desperate to feel her skin. It was as if some primeval instinct had overtaken him. The smell of her desire was driving him over the edge. He didn't want courteous, abashed lovemaking. He wanted something passionate, bruising, something bordering on violent. He wanted to fling her down, mount her, and ride her like a feral beast. He wanted blood and cries of pain and ecstasy.

After leaving Kagome's clothing hanging in shreds on her, Inuyasha assailed his own kimono. He ripped at the material and jerked his limbs from its confines. Finally they stood totally naked before each other. Simultaneously they reached out, arousal obvious in both, to both.

Their first coupling was savage, like they hated and wanted to hurt each other. Tears of pain streamed from Kagome's eyes when the first thrust rived her maidenhead, but the ache was subsumed in the indescribable pleasure that soon followed.

The second time was more languorous, an exploration of one another's bodies. It was a slow exercise of love, for lust had been satisfied. There was more kissing, more embracing, less clawing and grabbing.

After that they rested for a while and then Inuyasha suggested they go down to the nearby river to wash. Kagome nodded and he scooped her up in his arms. They were on the riverbank in a minute. The water was frigid, but it washed away the sweat, blood, and other fluids from their bodies. They again succumbed to their desire in the water, thrilling in the weightlessness of the action.

Close to sunrise, Inuyasha transported them back to his chamber. He gave Kagome a final kiss, held her securely in the circle of his arms, and closed his eyes. He was asleep almost immediately. His slumber was so deep, so complete, that he didn't feel Kagome slip from his embrace. He didn't hear her gathering the remnants of her clothes and tiptoeing out of his room. He didn't see how she changed into a clean set of clothes in the women's quarters or how she wakened Shippô, bade him be silent, and collected her few belongings together. He didn't know until several hours later that Shippô and Kagome had vanished with the last vestiges of night.

**_((to be continued))((to be continued))((to be continued))_**

NOTES:

Thanks to **INUSKOI** (I really do think it's wonderful that you read this story to your friend. I'm glad you both like it so much!); **DemonInuyasha1** (I agree, it is a little confusing at first, but it's supposed to be like that. If everything is revealed and simple at the beginning, there's not much of a story, at least that's what I think. I can't really say whether Kagome will get better or if she and Inuyasha will end up happy together, because that would give away the story. Sorry!); **Sakurascent**; **Miroku & Sango & Shippo** (Thank you so very much for a wonderful review that made me smile and laugh. Actually, Miroku and Sango _will_ be showing up soon, so cheer up!); **katty-kat** (Well, it's been a month since your review; not exactly updating _soon_, I know. Miroku and Sango will be showing up in the next chapter, I believe.)

SO! It's been approximately two months since my last update. Wow, not long at all, considering that it's me. And I was really actually doing something, too! I am amazed. I moved 1500 miles away, plus school has started again, and I still managed to write this chapter.

I will be a happy child if you review, so please do! And please let me know what you thought of "The Scene". I tried not to make it smutty or cliché, I tried to write it decorously, so please share your thoughts about it.

Love and thanks,

Kei


	12. The Quiet One

**Disclaimer:** _Inuyasha__: Sengoku o-Togi Zoushi_ **_does not _**belong to me in any way, shape, or form. This is a work of fanfiction and was written for entertainment purposes only. No profits are made from the writing or reading of this story. Only original characters and situations are © copyrighted by me.

**I Want Tomorrow  
**©2004 by Kei

**

* * *

Chapter XII – The Quiet One **

"Kagome, I don't understand! Where're we going? Why'd we have to sneak out?" Shippou whined as they entered the forest as the sun shed the first rays of day over the horizon.The dark-haired priestess looked down at the _kitsune_ in her arms and he saw the tears glistening in her eyes. He frowned to see her so upset; he worried her distress was his fault.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Kagome—," he started to say, but she effectively silenced him by nuzzling her face in his fuzzy ginger mop of hair, kissing him affectionately, almost apologetically, as the saltwater trickled from her eyes and onto his head.

"Did Inuyasha do something to you, Kagome?" Shippou demanded. "If he hurt you, I'll make him sorry!"

She made the slightest negative noise in response, so her companion ceased his tirade. He wished he could help Kagome, could make her feel happier somehow, could get her to actually say something. Seeing her so sad made him feel sad, too. He missed his smiling, laughing mother-sister.

They traveled for more than a week, moving only after nightfall, sliding slippery through shadows. The landscape was an unfamiliar blur to Shippou, but Kagome seemed to know their destination as she moved, tireless and swift, across the countryside.

The break in the bewildering routine came in the form of a young woman riding a fire-cat demon and armed with a huge boomerang carved out of bone. She had stopped at a riverside, presumably to wash, when Kagome and Shippou came upon her.

Sango was the young woman's name; her fire-cat was Kirara. They came from a village of demon exterminators, or _taijiya_. Sango was bathing after a particularly gory slaying she had completed. Despite her clan's centuries-old occupation, Sango had no prejudice against demons, and was nothing but welcoming to Kagome and Shippou. She didn't question Kagome on the girl's silence and seemed content to chat amiably with Shippou, who had many anecdotes to share with her.

"Where are you traveling to?" Sango inquired after a time.

"I don't know," Shippou answered. "Kagome?"

The young priestess offered only a small smile and a shake of her head.

"Do you have nowhere to go?" Sango asked.

Again Kagome shook her head.

"As a _miko_, you have purification powers, right?" said Sango.

"Yeah she does!" Shippou exclaimed. "She is the best _miko_ ever!"

Kagome gave him an affectionate squeeze and kiss on the nose. He giggled and licked her nose in retaliation.

"I am sure my village would welcome you," Sango put forth. "Your abilities of purification and your training in healing would be a great asset to the community."

"Oh, Kagome, let's do it, huh? Please!" Shippou begged, giving her his cutest expression.

He didn't have to ask twice. Kagome nodded and stood up. Kirara transformed from the size of a kitten to that of a large tiger. Sango helped Kagome climb onto the demon-cat's back before clambering on behind her two new acquaintances. Then Kirara launched into the sky, running on air to transport her passengers back to the village of the renowned _taijiya_.

Kagome and Shippou were genially welcomed into the community of demon exterminators. Sango's father insisted the _miko_ live with his family, and Kagome's acceptance of his invitation increased his prestige among his contemporaries. _Miko_ were a rare breed, and all the villagers were slightly in awe of Kagome, though they themselves were formidable and revered persons because of their profession.

Time passed.

Kagome became close to the family with which she lived, especially Sango. Shippou and Sango's younger brother, Kohaku, loved playing together. Sango's father treated Kagome like another daughter, which she had missed these past ten years her father had been dead.

Though her muteness disturbed some, the whole community was unfailingly kind to her. After all, not only was she a soothing presence, she also cared for the children while their parents were otherwise occupied; she healed the injuries of wounded exterminators who might have otherwise died without her ministrations; and she was able to purify sullied weapons, clothing, and individuals. She became a valuable asset to the _taijiya_ village.

Everyone noticed the swelling of the young priestess' abdomen, but nobody made any comment. Furthermore, nobody knew Kagome was a demon. _Taijiya_ though they were, they sensed no demonic aura about the young woman.

"Why hasn't Inuyasha come looking for you?" Shippou inquired one night, snuggled up next to Kagome on the pallet they always shared.

Even in the dark, the _kitsune_'s eyes detected Kagome's puzzled expression.

"Well, you guys are in love, aren't you?" the child clarified. "If you ran away from _me_, I'd _never_ stop searching for you!"

She kissed his nose and held him closer to let him know that she would never run away from him in the first place.

"But still!" the child insisted. "Where's Inuyasha?"

* * *

Inuyasha was at his own home, feeling like a prisoner in his father's house. He couldn't leave because of Lord Kin's edict that Inuyasha must do as his mother asked to make up the suffering she endured due to her precious son's absence. 

For the past several months, Lady Machi had asked nothing but that Inuyasha remain constantly by her side, even if no words passed between them. He complied, but his mind always wandered to Kagome, wondering where she was, cursing her for leaving without saying a single word to him, apologizing to her for perhaps driving her away, ordering her to return, begging her to come back and hold him.

"You told me, my son, that you and the pretty demon priestess did not know each other," Lady Machi remarked one afternoon as she sat with her child near the koi pond. "You said you were not certain what your feelings for her were."

"Yeah, so?" he spat unthinkingly.

Lady Machi closed her parasol and set it aside. Then she reached over and slowly wrapped her slender arms around Inuyasha's shoulders. Gently she pulled him closer and pressed his head to her shoulder. She leaned her cheek against his crown, smiling when his ears twitched against her face. She stroked his hair with a soothing maternal hand. Inuyasha didn't struggle, knowing how much she had missed him. Plus, he had rather missed being coddled like a pup by his mother, though he would never admit that aloud to anyone.

"You must find her, my darling," Lady Machi murmured. "You must go to her and tell her how much you love her."

"Whaddya mean?" he asked incredulously. She was telling him to leave?

"It is time I relinquished my claim on you," she went on. "The mother gives her son to his wife. I give you to the _miko_ Kagome now, Inuyasha." She pressed a kiss on his bangs and released him from her embrace.

"Mother?" he said, gazing at her with large eyes.

"Son," she responded, smiling fondly even as tears streamed noiselessly down her smooth cheeks. "Go."

He stood up and began bounding away. He blushed when her voice sounded from behind him: "Do not return without a grandchild for me!"

* * *

The village midwife attended Kagome when she went into labor. Shippou, posted firmly outside the door, could hear no sound from within, which worried him immensely. Babies cried when they came out, right? And why wasn't Kagome screeching in pain like so many human women did during childbirth? What if the baby was stillborn and the birthing had killed Kagome? 

Sango immediately scooped up the _kitsune_ cub when he started sobbing, overcome by his own fears for Kagome and for his unborn sibling. She comforted him to the best of her abilities, though her family had never been given to strong displays of affection.

Some time later, the midwife emerged. Shippou and Sango's family stared expectantly at her.

"It is over," she declared. "Both are healthy."

It seemed the entire village sagged with relief.

"When can I go in, huh? Huh? Huh? Lemme see Kagome!" Shippou yelped, now squirming in Sango's hold, his earlier anguish utterly dissipated.

The midwife poked her head back in and saw Kagome nod for Shippou to enter. She ushered the pup in and left the tired priestess and her two children alone.

The baby's eyes were closed, but Shippou could see its tiny pointed ears and short but sharp claws. Thin tufts of white hair softer than down covered the newborn's head.

"A boy?" Shippou questioned eagerly, clambering into Kagome's lap to get a closer look at the baby. Kagome nodded and the kit grinned hugely. "And he didn't cry when he came out?"

She shook her head.

"He's quiet like you, Kagome."

She bussed him on the nose and cuddled him close.

Suddenly the baby awoke, whimpering hungrily. Shippou was intrigued by the process of breast-feeding. When the baby was full and Kagome's kimono closed, the new mother welcomed Sango, Kohaku, and their father into the room and let them see her son.

The tranquil scene was abruptly interrupted when the alarm went up that a demon was approaching the village. The _taijiya_ armed themselves and prepared for battle. Shippou hopped onto Sango's shoulder, prepared to do battle with any fool who dared to attack the village in which his Kagome and his baby brother chose to stay.

A red and white blur shot out from the trees and landed in the midst of the _taijiya_.

"Inuyasha?" Shippou exclaimed, surprising Sango.

"You know this creature?" she asked the ginger-haired cub.

"He's Kagome's mate," Shippou explained.

Everyone's eyes widened at this pronouncement. Some weapons were tentatively lowered, though most of the gathered exterminators remained on guard.

"Brat!" Inuyasha snarled when he caught sight of the cub. "Where the hell's Kagome?"

"'Bout time you showed up, you smelly dog," Shippou replied. "She's in there." He pointed at Sango's father's home.

Inuyasha grunted his gratitude and dashed to the house. At the door he said, "Kagome?" and slowly pushed the door open, closing it carefully once inside. He turned around and nearly jumped when he found Kagome standing directly behind him, bearing a curious-smelling bundle in her arms. Whatever it was smelled alive, a mixture of Kagome's sweet scent, Inuyasha's own scent, and the aroma of milk and contentment.

"Kagome—," he started to say, but stuttered to a halt when Kagome unwrapped the top bit of the bundle in her arms. One gold eye and one blue-grey eye gazed up at him.

Unobtrusively Kagome cleared her throat. Inuyasha's eyes flew back to her. She smiled warmly.

"This is your son, Inuyasha," she told him. "His name is Kiyoshi."

It was almost too much for Inuyasha. Not only had Kagome spoken to him, but she had given birth to his son! His heart was breaking and mending so fast he could barely breathe.

Kagome turned and led him to her pallet, on which she sat on her knees, motioning for Inuyasha to do the same across from her. He situated himself so his knees touched his mate's. She held Kiyoshi out and Inuyasha took his child in his arms like he was made of perfect rice paper that must not be creased in any way, like perfect thin china.

As Kiyoshi drifted into slumber, Inuyasha whispered, "Kagome, I love you. Don't ever doubt it. I was scared that my feelings weren't real, but they are."

Tears spilling from her eyes, Kagome said evenly, "Yes, I know. And I love you, Inuyasha. I'm sorry I didn't speak to you, didn't tell you I was a demon. But my soul was shattered, and if I'd spoken in the past nine months, the pieces would have bled out of my mouth. Do you understand?"

He nodded solemnly.

"I became a demon because Kikyou's bad demonic blood mingled with mine and by the time I woke up I was a demon. I was terrified, because how could I be a priestess and also my antithesis, a demon? The wounds in my heart were deepened by that knowledge.

"Our night together initiated the healing process, for I felt then your intense affection, though it was very muddled. I knew you felt something true for me then. Yet I knew I had to leave so that each of us might sort out the feelings for the other. Since that time, as Kiyoshi grew in me and lived peacefully here, I have recovered, and your arrival today signaled the end of my silence."

She reached out and clasped his clawed hand in hers. She lifted it to her cheek, kissed his knuckles, opened his fingers and kissed his palm.

"May I put my son— eh, our son down?" he asked, and Kagome held her arms out to reclaim the baby. She carefully placed the snoozing baby in his cradle Kohaku and his father had crafted for the child.

When she was certain all was well and comfortable with Kiyoshi, Kagome went back to Inuyasha, who had stood up to meet her. Before she could speak, he caught her in a fierce embrace and fervently pressed his lips to hers, drank of her taste like a dehydrated vagabond. He wished he could do more than just kiss her, but his sensitive nose told him she had only recently given birth and, despite her rapid combined demon and priestess healing capabilities, she needed rest. He was surprised she could even stand up.

"Come home, Kagome," he said roughly into her hair.

"I am needed here," she answered, hands tightly clutching his _haori_. "They knew me not and yet offered me a comfortable home. I have felt loved and cared for here, Inuyasha. I have felt safe, and I want safety and security above all for my children. As I am, as a demon, I cannot return to my grandfather's house but to visit, perhaps. And I am not meant for living as a lady like your honored mother. I would dearly love for you to remain here with me, but will understand if you don't wish to stay. That won't change my feelings."

"I'm not gonna leave ya, Kagome!" he growled, crushing her to him. "If I gotta live with the damn _taijiya_ to be with you and Kiyoshi, okay, I'll live with 'em. Forget everything else, I only care about you."

"And Kiyoshi," she added.

"Yeah," he confirmed a little abashedly.

"And your mother," she went on. "And your father. And Shippou."

Another fiery kiss silenced her.

**TBC**

_

* * *

NOTES: _

Thanks to **katty-kat** (Hope your question about why and how Kagome became a demon was answered. Don't hit me with a metal bat, please! –cowers-); **Michelle** (Teehee, you are certainly welcome to Inuyasha after this story's over.); **Sakurascent** (Yes, Kagome did leave mysteriously, didn't she? But now they're back together and everything's rather hunky-dory, no? And Sango showed up! Miroku will come soon, I promise.); **Sailor Moon1996**.

Okay, so, it's been a while, and this chapter was short, but I wrote it and there it is. I hope you liked it, and thank you for reading. Please show your appreciation by leaving a review with comments, questions, critiques, etc.

_Hi, kids, it's time for "Kei's Shameless Self-Promotion"!  
_  
Please go read  
**  
"I'm Crying Because I'm Happy"  
**  
a tiny collection of three AU IYKagome vignettes.  
It can be found on my profile page.  
I do hope you read and review!

_Arigatoo__ gozaimasita_,  
Kei

PS: **A SHORT EPILOGUE IS FORTHCOMING! THE END IS VERY F---ING NIGH!**


	13. Epilogue: Another New Beginning

**Disclaimer:** _Inuyasha: Sengoku o-Togi Zoushi_ **_does not _**belong to me in any way, shape, or form. This is a work of fanfiction and was written for entertainment purposes only. No profits are made from the writing or reading of this story. Only original characters and situations are © copyrighted by me.

* * *

**I Want Tomorrow  
**©2005 by Kei

* * *

**Epilogue: Another New Beginning**

Inuyasha and Kagome, together with the help of all the villagers, built their own hut in which to live with Kiyoshi and, of course, Shippou, much to Inuyasha's chagrin.

About two months after Kiyoshi's birth, the little family of four traveled back to Kagome's former home village. Her mother wept and wailed and reprimanded the two adults for not trying to contact them in any way. Souta and Kaede adored Kiyoshi, and Grandpa was anxious to discourse with Kagome about her experiences as the _miko_ for the demon exterminators.

Naturally everyone was shocked to hear about Inuyasha and Kagome's bedeviled journey, the horrible encounter with Kikyou, and Kagome's transformation into a demon. Ultimately, her family didn't mind Kagome's change of species, as they could see that inside she was absolutely the same loving and lovable Kagome. Mama cried a little over the loss of her other baby, the one who grew into Kikyou, but she didn't mourn for long. She burned incense and said some prayers alone, after which she spoke no more about it.

On the journey back to the _taijiya_ village, the foursome met a wandering Buddhist monk named Miroku. They soon discovered that he had wandering hands, which, when they wandered onto Kagome's bosom, were nearly chopped off by an enraged Inuyasha.

Kagome was more forgiving, though, and she invited Miroku to go back to the exterminators' village with them, where there were a number of young, pretty, unmarried girls.

Of that group, Miroku zeroed in on Sango, who was endlessly introducing her Hiraikotsu to the monk's skull when he touched her without permission. However, most people could see that she rather enjoyed his attentions, felt some affection for him.

Kiyoshi didn't speak a single word until he was five years old. His first word (well, it was really more of a phrase) was, "Stupid fuckin' demons!" which he yelled when he stubbed his toe against something. His language could only have come from one source, and Shippou looked on and laughed until it hurt as Kagome soundly trounced Inuyasha for inculcating their precious child with such foul language.

They had many other children after Kiyoshi, and those children had many children, and so on and so forth; and Kagome and Inuyasha were able to see them all because, as everyone knows, demons have very long life-spans. While they were sad to see their human friends pass on, those friends' progeny was always excellent company, and everyone lived mostly happily and well.

**-finis-**

* * *

_NOTES:_

Thanks to **katty-kat** (Thanks for stickin' with it!); **Sakurascent** (Glad it made sense for you, I know it was rather vague for a while.)

The Bloody Effin' End! I'm kinda glad I've gotten it over with. Multi-chaptered stories always wind up killing me. They start off okay, but then start dragging on and on, getting more and more meaningless, and driving me further and further to stark raving madness. So I am happy this is over. It ain't the best thing I've ever written, no, but it ain't the worst, either. I liked writing about Kagome's weird dreams and all the foreboding and ominous stuff and blood and whatnot. I think after Kikyou died, though, it started goin' downhill. Sigh. Oh well.

Probably ain't anyone readin' this. But I can live with that.

Please leave a review with comments, questions, critiques, etc. _**Thank you so very much for reading!**_

Farewell, best wishes,  
Kei


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